This is a continuation of my earlier blog.
Sex
I have four daughters of marriageable age. Having been an adolescent boy with sex on the brain I know what guys are capable of. And knowing that, why in the world would I ever fail to protect my girls? Yet that is exactly what so many parents do when they allow their teenagers to date. Parents effectively send them out into the dark, reef-filled lagoon and say, “Good luck with that,” as though it were their only option. What insanity! Young people need to be trained before they can be trusted. You wouldn’t put them behind your car without a drivers’ training course, so why shouldn’t we take at least that much care in training our young people about the opposite sex?
When your teenage daughter “falls in love” and you as a parent try to help her course correct, it can’t end well. The horse is out of the barn by then. Emotions have been jacked up too high by then. Think of all the lessons that need to be taught before a young person has a decent chance of avoiding a ship wreck: learning self-respect, how to have a meaningful conversation, how to assess the values of another person, how to say “no” and mean it. These are just a few basics.
Power
Power is generally more of an older person’s temptation. But it exists in various forms for young people too. One way young people have access to undiluted power is through guns. Our inner cities have long been unsafe because of this. And now it has filtered through to our schools where young men replay the Columbine scenario on campuses across the country. Give an angry young man a gun and a score to settle and you’ve got tomorrow’s headlines.
Over time, God intended for parents to help young people make wise choices. We all mess up, alternately too lenient and too restrictive, but we have to help them wrestle through each situation seeking wisdom and seeking to please God. It’s what the book of Proverbs is about. If you’re a parent, don’t trifle with these temptations.
I know I am not a parent, but I love this….AMEN to all that Seth!!! 🙂 When I am a parent and my kids get mad, I will just tell them it was Seths fault…just kidding.
Seth – I’m curious – what kind of social life did you and your wife allow for your teens?
we were pretty normal. I can’t remember any fights. The kids actually seemed to know the right thing to do in most cases. We did talk a lot and we put a lot of responsibility on them. I think we were probably especially blessed to have good kiddos.
I wish my parents had embraced these truths when I was growing up…I blew it in all of these areas. I learned alot and turned out okay in the end, but I still pay a price almost daily for some of those mistakes. Great posts Seth!!