The Beginning of Wisdom: Equip your kids to “say no” to porn

Yesterday I posted a link to an article talking about how several things, including porn, fall into the category of superstimuli.  Today I would like to follow up with a post on how, as parents, we should deal with the inevitable eventuality that our kids will encounter pornography.  This article from early May is a great piece of advice for parents wondering how they should prepare their children.  Two points to draw out: 1) start earlier than you think you will need to on discussions about sex, 2) have a culture of confession and repentance in your household.

Supernormal Stimuli: Your Brain On Porn, Junk Food, and the Internet

The website Lifehacker recently posted this article on Supernormal Stimuli.  It is an interesting look at some of the dangers of the most common temptations facing our kids and culture.  I particularly like the quote from C.S. Lewis towards the end of the article: “Only those who resist temptation know how strong it is.”  The author of this article has some good advice on ways to break our dependency and establish a more normal pattern of living.

Look Up

This little video has been making the rounds on various social media and is definitely worth a look.  It is a good reminder that we miss a lot if we don’t ever look up from our devices.

 

Protect Your Family with the Skydog | Challies Dot Com

I have parents ask me frequently what they can use to help protect their families as their children go online with the myriad devices in each household.  I have recommended several software and hardware solutions before, but I was interested to run across this article on Tim Challies website about a solution called Skydog.  Let me know what you think if you try it out!

 

Protect Your Family with the Skydog | Challies Dot Com.

Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say – The Washington Post

Serious reading takes a hit from online scanning and skimming, researchers say – The Washington Post.

This is an interesting read from the Washington Post.  As we try to teach students to spend time carefully reading, we may be undoing that training in the way that we let them use the internet.  I know that my own attention span is affected when I spend too much time online.  Careful reading is a discipline and one that must be constantly trained in a student for them to be able to enjoy it.

Teaching Politeness

Teaching my daughter to be polite can be a huge challenge. I enjoyed reading one of Tim Challies’ (www.challies.com) blog posts;  he linked to this article about teaching your children to be polite.  What do you think of these guidelines?  What other advice would you offer?

Are You Teaching Your Children to Engage or Disengage?

A recently read this post: Distracted from Shepherding a Child’s Heart and was convicted about how often I am teaching my child that my things are more important that my conversation with her.   What is the flavor of your family interaction?  Are you teaching your children to engage or disengage by the way that you interact with them?

I especially love the conclusion to this article.

“The good news for Christian parents is that the spiritual health of our children is not ultimately dependent on our smartphone habits. Our close attention to them doesn’t create a new heart or a greater love for Christ. Salvation is of the Lord. Yet, parents are often one of the crucial means God uses to pass along His gospel. That’s why we should ask for the help of God’s Spirit as we seek to be faithful in this calling. There are no hard and fast rules for how often we should use our tablets, but we should at least make sure they’re not a hindrance as we seek to weave God’s truth into our everyday conversations.”

Talking to Your Kids About Porn

Talking to Your Kids About Porn

There is a new article at ByFaith (a Christian news site) that has some great information to help parents talk with their children about pornography.  Here’s an excerpt from the article:

“Parents are failing to notice and address this danger in a way that will protect their children. To give children unrestricted Internet access is like leaving them alone in a large city to find their way. No loving parent would even think of doing such a thing! But many parents are not realistic about the sexual temptation their children are facing. Some refuse to admit their children could be lured by sex at all, while others are overwhelmed and confused by the available technology. To make matters worse, parents rarely bring up the subject of sex, except to say, “Don’t!” or “Wait until you’re married.” This combination leaves children and teens confused about their emerging sexuality and vulnerable to the constant bombardment of sexual material.”

Family Worship and Its Benefits – Reformation21

Here is a great article about family worship.  This is an issue that I have not developed a good pattern for in my own family and something that I am working on being more faithful to do.  This article lays out a solid argument for the benefits and reasons behind establishing a consistent pattern of worship for your family.   Check it out: Family Worship and Its Benefits – Reformation21.

Do Unto Others — Everyone, Everywhere | byFaith

Here is a great article from byFaith about what it means to love our neighbors.  In the context of social media I particularly liked the following quote:

“Before clicking “publish” or “send,” consider what you would want said to you (or about you) and how you would want it said. Pray for a loving heart that looks to the interests of others. Then reread the draft and see if it still seems like the right thing to say.”

There are plenty of good tidbits to share with your kids as you talk to them about what it means to love one another.  Discernment often begins with thinking through issues before they pop up instead of reacting to what has already happened.  Hopefully this article will help.

Do Unto Others — Everyone, Everywhere | byFaith.