Be careful little eyes, what you see…

We all remember the children’s bible hymn…

“Be careful little eyes what you see,

be careful little eyes what you see,

For the Father up above is looking down in love,

So Be careful little eyes what you see.

Would it floor you to know that according to some statitistics, the average age of a child’s first exposure to internet pornography is 11 years old?  If that doesn’t hit you between the eyes, maybe the fact that 90% of 8-16 year olds have already been exposed to internet pornography (mostly doing research or homework online).  Our children are being exposed to dangerous materials usually in some of the places we would consider safety zones in their life, school, church and yes, home.  If I told you that on a certain street in a certain building, there exists material or people, who want to do harm to your child, you would go out of your way to either have your child avoid that location or you would ensure that she had the proper protection from whatever or whoever was there.  Well, the world wide web holds these dangers.  What could/should you as a parent do about it?  Michael Ross, author of the books “Tribe: A Warrior’s Heart” and “Tribe: A Warrior’s Battles” shares with us in the October 2009 issue of HomeLife some information and some action steps we can take as parents to protect our little gifts from God!

1. Start an open dialogue with your child – Avoid a prosecutorial attack and embrace your child in a spirit of love and concern.

2. Create a battle plan – this is truly a war for our children and you need to go at it intelligiently and not emotionally.

• Cut off the source – use filtering software (some will be listed at the end of this post)
• Set usage restraints – while it may not be feasible to eliminate computer access, you should not allow the PC to take over the job of child rearing and entertainment. Set limits on its usage.
• Position you computer in a public/open place in the home – eliminate the possibility of use in private when he/she can be tempted
• Begin a father/son-daughter connection time – yes I said father. God has ordained the father as the spiritual lead in the home and our daughters as well as our sons need to see this role vividly expressed at home.  Mothers are also encouraged to connect, but mom’s usually are the ones who don’t need a blog to encourage them.
• Become your child’s “FRIEND” on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace – also keep a record of their passwords and usernames to keep up with their activities.
• Limit functions available on cell phones – cell phones today have just as much access to the web as computers, so this should be monitored also.
• STUDY SCRIPTURE TOGETHER – Psalm 101:3 “I will set before my eyes no vile thing.  The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me.”,   2 Corinthians 10:5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.  Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Having an open dialogue is key to being the true spiritual influencer in your child’s life.  We owe it to our kids to help guide them through this.  The pull is strong not only on the internet, but in basic television and in their conversations away from home.  We must equip them to fight this spiritual battle.  The equipping begins with us. May God Bless you and Keep you as you follow him!

Resources:

1. Netnanny.com – sets up a protective wall around your kid’s computer
2. Arlington Kiosk Browser – limits websites a child can visit
3. Internet Safety.com
4. X3watch.com
5. onguardonline.gov
6. The PG Key
7. Parental Controls on your broadband router and within your browsers                                                                                                                                           

Family and Economic Stress

I recently read an article in ParentLife magazine (September 2009 p. 45) by Dr. Linda Mintle.  She replied to a reader’s question “My husband recently lost his job and money is tight.  I know I have been more irritable because of the financial stress we feel.  Do kids pick up on this? If so, how do we talk to them about what is happening?”

Dr. Mintle reassured the reader that it normal for a parent to feel the stress of financial pain.  She also shared that going through this is a good opportunity to help our kids understand how God provides for our needs.  She stated that first a parent should deal with their anxiety first.  She quoted the scriptures, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own.” ~Matthew 6:34 (NIV) and “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6.

She goes on to instruct the parent on some ways to explain the financial situationa nd what family changes everyone is going to have to make.  She stresses that in this teachable moment, the parent can help the child to know that God promises to be with us and we should thank Him for everything we do still have.  She also adds that this is time to be creative about family fun with things that don’t cost too much or any money. 

We as parents must sometimes be reminded that what we sing and read in church or in our daily devotions is not just interesting facts, but God’s Holy Word.  It is how God speaks to us and through us.  Another verse that the writer did not reference is “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:19.  God does promise to meet our needs.  So when we have financial troubles, relational trials, etc, we can rest in God’s promises.  But we cannot rest in promises that we are not aware of.  This is why as Christians, and christian parents, we must spend time alone in God’s word.  This allows for God to fill us spiritually and emotionally so that we can then fill our children and others we come in contact with.  Lord, I pray that you will continue to fill our parents and grow them into the men and women of God you have called them to be.  Then empower them to fill their children and grow them into fully devoted followers of Christ!

Please read this and many other wonderful articles in September’s ParentLife (FBBC members, make sure you pick one up in either your child’s SS class or in the hallway by the information desk.)  For more information on Dr. Linda Mintle, go to her website – www.drlindahelps.com

Hello world!

Hello fellow Parents.  This blog will be a source to share my heart about current events, helpful parenting tips, and scriptures.  Please tell others about it and visit often.  My plan is to have a new update every 2 weeks or so.  So please check back often.  I will link my posts to my facebook page and twitter, so if you are my friend on facebook or follow me on twitter, you will get the updates.  God Bless you and may God do wonders in your life as you strive to be the Spiritual Leaders for your children.