As the heat and distance rapidly increase between those of us who believe in and respect American principles versus those who would dismantle our Constitutional Republic without a second thought if we were to step out of the way, it has becoming painfully apparent that there are certain things we are supposed to accept as the “new normal.”

There are those who will be cripplingly offended at the sight of the American flag. There are grown adults who will be incomprehensibly triggered by any symbol of U.S. history because they have been misled to believe that all American emblems are linked to slavery and/or white supremacy. Just speaking the truth will debilitate far-left activists to the point of incoherent shrieking and physical convulsions, similar to that of a toddler who has been given the wrong drinking cup.

As we face the new state of the world, the question becomes this: When is it time to allow our children to shoulder the burden?

And the answer might just be: now.

A Colorado seventh grader gained national attention recently after he was pulled into the vice principal’s office at the Vanguard School in Harrison School District Two in Colorado Springs. He was told that the Gadsden flag patch he had prominently and proudly displayed on his backpack could potentially cause teachers and students to feel unsafe.

Dressed in a button-down, collared shirt with his hair neatly parted and combed, the 12-year-old boy carried the appearance and demeanor of a well-educated young man. His confidence can likely be attributed, in large part, to the foundation he had already established (thanks to a mom who took the time to instill truth in her son) in his knowledge of American history.

He was ready. School administrators were not.

As the individuals in the meeting who had the audacity to call themselves educators addressed the boy and his mom, they immediately demonstrated the failings of a government-run, agenda-driven education system. They told him that he could not wear this particular patch due to its historical ties to slavery and the slave trade.

Yes, in all seriousness, they were referring to the yellow flag featuring a coiled snake and the words “Don’t tread on me.”

I feel it necessary to reiterate that these are people in charge of the educational success of other humans.

The mother verbalized the disbelief that most people watching the recorded and viral video of this conversation had running through our minds:

“It has nothing to do with slavery,” she reminded them. “That’s, like, the Revolutionary War patch that was displayed when they were fighting the British. Maybe you’re thinking of the Confederate flag?”

During the conversation, the boy remained calm and stalwart. He simply sat in his chair and essentially allowed these teachers to dig themselves further into their hole of misinformation and stupidity. At times, it seemed he was exerting all of his energy and focus on keeping himself from laughing.

In follow-up articles to the incident, it was announced that, after an emergency board meeting and a vote by the district heads, the young man would be allowed to continue to don the patch. It was agreed that forcing him to remove the item from his bag would contradict its important “don’t tread on me” message by treading on his rights as an American citizen.

His mother also said that as her son had been dealing with the backlash and heat from woke teachers at his school for continuing to wear the item — an inconceivable act after being told that it might hurt someone’s feelings — she struggled with the decision to allow him to essentially keep walking through fire.

As a parent, it was her natural instinct to want to protect her son from this conflict. It certainly would have been an easier road for him to remove the flag from view and carry out his time at school without this particular challenge.

But she knows, like many of us do by now, the long-term suffering and hardship that comes from sacrificing our rights, values, and freedoms in order to gain the temporary peace that comes with those seemingly simple and insignificant acts of compliance.

Sometimes people cave to the mob, whether it be by agreeing to hide a symbol of patriotism to protect someone else’s feelings, or wearing a mask because it’s not a hard thing to do. It may bring a sense of relief for a brief time, but the comfort is an illusion.

Many of us raising children in today’s insanity are having to come to terms with a hard reality. There is no way for members of the current generation to enjoy and preserve what America stands for without accepting that retaliation from the mob is inevitable.

The agenda to erase factual American history, with all of its immense trials and monumental triumphs, has been relentless in recent years. It is a pro-tyranny, anti-freedom movement that has created a legion of mindless followers who are prepared, in their lie-fueled rage, to burn down everything that our Founding Fathers envisioned for this country, leaving nothing but ash and authoritarianism behind them.

This is why, perhaps, it is becoming necessary for the parents of children with values, morals, and conviction to allow our kids to shoulder a piece of that burden — when they are willing to do so. We have to trust that the courage, faith, and strength that we’ve been building within them has prepared them to stand up to the challenges that are unique to the present period of history.