How is it possible that young children and teenagers are increasingly engaging in sexual experimentation? What’s behind this, and as responsible fathers and mothers what can we do to protect our young ones?
It’s time to “wake up and smell the coffee” regarding today’s increasing moral decline pointing to our desperate need for national repentance and a Third Great Awakening in America.
- A father asked CNN’s Chris Cuomo, “What if my 12-year-old daughter doesn’t want to see [men] in the girl’s locker room?” He responded, “Her overprotective father should teach her tolerance.“
- A mother OKs her older teens viewing A Star is Born, remembering the classic love story with Judy Garland’s inspirational singing. Shockingly, she later discovers the remake stars Lady Gaga and contains graphic nudity, more than 100 profanities, repeated fornication, drag queens and suicide (Plugged In movie reviews).
Scripture prioritizes the training of our sons and daughters.
“Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of your life will be many. … Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not go in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and pass on” (Prov. 4:10, 14-15).
Our solemn responsibility as parents in a culture obsessed with sexual promiscuity and perversion is to be vigilant. Godly parents are gatekeepers of the greenhouse our children are nurtured in until the time they are ready to stand strong on their own. We will one day give an account to God for how we raised our children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4b) and Scripture clearly directs dads to lead the way (v. 1).
All Hands on Deck!
Mothers and fathers are primarily responsible under God for their children’s welfare. But today, we need to rally all the support we can from God-fearing grandparents, like-minded Christian friends and a genuine church community.
Raising four children of our own and now supplementing our seven (ages 2-13) grandchildren’s training in this new season as grandparents, we pray for them daily; involve ourselves in their lives; and, try to cultivate strong bonds of friendship and communication without interfering or spoiling these precious ones (at least most of the time). One of our sons and his wife gave us the plaque in our living room that says, “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s.”
Whether we’re on their turf or they’re hanging out at our place, we try to make our times both instructive and fun. Recently, this consisted of grabbing some Dunkin’ Donuts; going to their gymnastics, swimming and baseball games; driving around and enjoying spontaneous conversations; selecting a bag of chili lime hot chips or M&M peanuts special treats after filling up with gas; reading a fascinating story or two; me receiving a manicure from my granddaughter and looking through photo album memories when their parents were their age.
“Yikes! They look so funny! Why did mom have such big hair and dad wear those goofy ties?” they said.
It also consists of sharing discreet, age-appropriate episodes from our lives that reinforce parental training in avoidance of potential evil. We don’t need to expose our children to evil but should help them understand the consequences of evil. Our youngest son, today a pastor, will never forget our visit to a jail when he was 10 and how scary it felt to be locked inside for a minute (“Get me outta’ here!”).
Every parent and grandparent should drill into their children’s little heads these three maxims of life; maybe post them on your refrigerator:
Life is a series of choices
Choices bring consequences
Choices determine destiny.
Red Alert: Minefield of Sex
In today’s post-Christian era, there are three primary spheres where children are either directly or subtly receiving unbiblical messages on sex. We must be “watchmen on the wall” (Ezek. 33:6) who shield our impressionable ones from the enemy’s schemes and provide them with wholesome, creative alternatives.
1. Music
Whether it’s from the radio, smartphone or TV, lots of today’s pop music features promiscuity, sensuality and homosexuality. USA Today recently celebrated gay-affirming artists they called the “first crop of musicians who are openly called to pave the way for young kids.” They called two of today’s most popular, award winning singers in a headline article the “Unabashedly Gay Pop Stars We Need Right Now.”
Are you aware of song titles floating around from the LGBTQ “Pride Party Playlist?” “A Great Big World—Everyone is Gay.” “Girls Like Girls” from the artist nicknamed “Lesbian Jesus.” Or how about “Who We Are?” Are you monitoring what’s coming through those earbuds?
2. Movies and TV
Besides the frontal assault of gay-affirming television shows and sex-saturated movies on cable, this fall at your Cineplex are 12 LGBTQ-themed films starring big-name celebrities: Colette with Keira Knightley, The Favorite with Emma Stone, or how about Happy Prince with Colin Firth or Boy Erased with Nicole Kidman.
Brace yourself as well for Bohemian Rhapsody celebrating the life of Freddie Mercury, the Queen frontman who sang “We Will Rock You” and was dead of AIDS at 45.
In today’s atmosphere, we simply cannot let our guard down but must be very discriminating in what we allow into the “eye and ear gate” of our children. Thank God for inspirational networks on cable featuring wholesome Christian programming and classic television shows from the ’60s that honored God’s Word.
We tape shows like The Andy Griffith Show with our Christian brother Don Knotts as Barney Fife, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Father Knows Best as well as Turner Classic Movies. It entails planning, but the investment pays big dividends in reinforcing biblical values.
3. Schools: If your children are in a public school, it’s essential to be knowledgeable about what is being taught in the name of “reproductive health” and “sex education.”
Planned Parenthood, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), SIECUS (Sexual Information & Education Council of the United States) and Advocates for Youth are national organizations well-funded and aggressive in supplying schools their “resources” that teach much of what is completely contrary to biblical values on human sexuality.
Surveying the literature from Planned Parenthood, one finds that “sex is hot,” and abstinence is not, Homosexuality, transgenderism and abortion are normal, natural and not to be looked down upon, but rather celebrated.
University of California Santa Barbara advocates teaching parents and children that childhood sexuality should promote sexual pleasure for children ages 4 to 7 including “harmless and normal” same sex exploration.
“Comprehensive Sexuality Education” (CSE) seeks to change society by changing sexual and gender norms. These programs have an almost obsessive focus on sexual pleasure and teaching children at the earliest age how to engage “safely” in variations of sexual activity. It teaches children they can choose their gender, how to pleasure themselves and how a 9-year-old can put on a condom.
Proceed Cautiously but Confidently
Here’s the deal: Parents must make a quality decision to stay on the front line in the battle for our children’s spiritual and moral upbringing. Government, entertainment and schools increasingly do not support a biblical worldview so we must align ourselves with other like-minded fathers and mothers, plus grandparents, in the context of authentic Christian community. The African proverb reminds us, “To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.”
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