By Nick (My Experience As...)
What could be more sweet, innocent, and pure than a newborn child? It seems that purity starts being threatened shortly after that first breath though.
We work to protect our children. We baby proof houses by covering all the outlets, putting parent proof locks on cabinets and everything else short of wrapping the world in bubble wrap. Despite all our efforts, it isn’t long after the sweet little baby starts life that we make our first panicked trip to the ER because of a minor head wound. Did you realize even a small cut on the face bleeds a LOT? I didn’t know kids had so much blood in them.
Despite all our efforts to protect our kids they get hurt, which is especially scary when I think of how little is done to protect the purity of a child. Even if you remove the smut and garbage from your house, it is everywhere around them. The safety of prime time TV disappeared when I was a kid. Even the shows on popular kids’ stations are pushing the envelope. Not long ago a popular show decided to roll with it when the lead actress got pregnant, following on the heels of Juno they went for the pregnant teen story line. While the show was cancelled before following that story line, it is clear that the networks don’t see a problem and will gladly take that risk again.
Even worse is what kids are exposed to on the internet. Parents should be shocked to know the amount of smut the average child is exposed to on the internet, yet tweens and teens alike are given computers they can hide in their rooms and even their pockets. The students I work with almost all have cell phones, and to avoid surprise charges, almost all have phones with unlimited texting and data. Of course your children wouldn’t send/receive lewd images. They are perfectly safe in the bubble of purity your mind has conceived for them.
Just like they are safe in their school. Guys and girls don’t start talking about sex earlier and earlier in life. They aren’t exposed to drinking, drugs, and other things that will destroy them at a young age in the place we assume they are safe.
Now if you do pull your head out of the sand please remember these words “Don’t Panic.”
I know you want to, just like that time your oldest tripped while learning to walk and took a face plant splitting their lip. You want to find some way of putting bubble wrap over the entire world, but just like then, there is a simple solution.
Education and Prayer
Sure you could have tied that baby into a chair to prevent any more harm from ever happening, but we all know that only makes a bigger problem.
Maybe you are just now realizing what your child is exposed to on a daily basis. You are contemplating throwing the TV away, and the computer, and the phone, and sending them to a private school, and building blinders, and quitting your job so you can stand over their shoulder every second of their life.
I promise you this, if you panic it will only cause more harm. Instead remember that your primary job as a parent is to lovingly discipline, that is to say educate, your child. “Train up a child in the way which is right and when they are grown they will not depart from it.” – Proverbs 22:6
Stop sitting around the TV while eating your dinner, stop working so late your kids never see you, and stop sleeping in on Sunday morning because it is your only day off.
Start talking to them about their day, start taking special days off just for them, and start getting them into church.
That is your first step, but if the plight of far too many pastor’s kids can teach us anything, that is only the beginning. Remember that you are the parent. Check out what is going on in their phone, find out who their friends are, be a snoop. It’s your right.
Finally, and most importantly, pray. Pray for their safety, pray for your eyes to be opened, and pray they will have the strength to stand firm in the face of evil.
[Editor's Note: This post is the 11th contribution to a wonderful series we are doing on Biblical virtues and praying for our children. I firmly believe that as parents, it is part of our responsibility, and an honor, to pray to our Father in heaven on behalf of our children. I pray you are blessed and encouraged by the words of these posts and that you will join me in my passion for growing strong, confident, loving, honorable and faithful children of God. If you missed the first six posts, be sure to go and read them: Love for God's Word, Salvation for the Next Generation, Praying for the Willingness and Ability to Work, Biblical Self-Esteem: I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough... Or Am I?, Love Is..., Praying for Perseverance; Faithfulness; Self-Control; Respect; and Servant's Heart]
Nick is a husband and father to four children all of whom he loves dearly. He is also a youth pastor to over 50 students, a great writer and a whiz with computers. He has a fabulous blog where he shares his Experience as a Husband, Father, Youth Pastor, Geek and Jesus Freak. Be sure to go check it out.