I agree with these parents. The first step in the slide towards communism/socialism is away from monarchy/republic into democracy. The Founding Fathers loathed democracy in the same way we today loath fascism.
Mao Zedong agrees with you as well. The Chinese Communist Party loathes the idea of democracy and will never allow their Republic to have democracy, they say it leads to “mob rule” and hence they gave us Tiananmen Square when the little people decided to stand up and question their government. Communists despise democracy and believe that ultimate source of authority is the state, and certainly not We The People.
If you dread the idea of having democracy in your Republic, places like Cuba and China would be ideal for you.