I have never felt more pride for today’s youth than when I sat in the auditorium at Lakeland High School and listened to Paul Meadors give his speech.

I was even more proud when I spoke to him on the phone after he got out of school.

Lakeland High School student and all the other students that participated showed courage to stand up for what they believe is right, despite parents and other adults trying to rip them down.

Comments plastered posts about the walkout, saying these kids can’t even vote, so what do they know? Some commenters even had the audacity to say that these kids were just following the liberal agenda.

RUBBISH.

Most of these kids will be of legal voting age before the next presidential election, and some of them will be old enough to vote even in this year’s midterm elections. How is someone that is old enough to vote, and own a gun, not able to think for themselves?

The way Paul spoke and what I have heard other young adults say around the country lets me know that they can and have been thinking for themselves.

As cliché as it sounds, these kids are our future, and every parent should be proud to see their children engaging in politics and doing their civic duty.

Just because you aren’t legally an adult doesn’t mean you can’t exercise your First Amendment rights. At least they’re expressing themselves in a logical and intelligent manner that makes a statement to the people that can change things.

These kids organized a protest to demand change. These kids invited those who have the ability to make changes. All these parents are doing is whining in the comment section on Facebook posts. I see one group of people actively engaging the community, and I see another sitting on their phones on the couch watching Fox News.

These kids decided to “walk out” first because that was the point of the movement. They walked out and made a statement to say they won’t accept anything other than gun reform and school safety.

Those are my kind of kids. They have fire and passion. They want what is right in the world while their parents sit home and complain.

They are taking the age-old advice most parents tell us every day: “If you want it done right, you better do it yourself.”

I hope every student knows their voice matters, and I hope they continue to use their voice to demand change.