Parenting Sexuality

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Guiding Your Kids Through a Pornographic World
Why Parents Are better Than The Internet
7 Things Not to Do When Your Child’s Exposed to Porn
Scripture that points to Parenting Sexuality
Recommended Books on Parenting Sexuality
Recommended Videos on Parenting Sexuality
All Articles on Parenting Sexuality

This page pulls together articles, podcasts, and videos about Parenting Sexuality: raising your kids toward sexual integrity. While not exhaustive, the resources below will equip you to be the best parent you can be in teaching God’s good, holy, and beautiful design for sexuality to your children.

The resources below are designed to get you thinking and begin having regular conversations with your children about God’s design and for their sexuality.

At the end of this page, you’ll find a complete list of all the content we have on Parenting Sexuality.

Guiding Your Kids Through a Pornographic World

My coauthor, Daniel Weiss, and I, were on Focus on the Family’s broadcast on Monday. If you don’t know this broadcast, it is listened to by over 6 million listeners a week. I did the math: That’s about 5.999 million more people than I’ve spoken to even on one of my best weeks.

But that’s not why the interview was important. It actually has nothing to do with me. I’m a parent like every other parent, doing my best to find my way as I raise kids that I both love and fail more than I ever imagined I could.

What makes the interview important are the kids we’re all parenting. All of our kids are growing up in a culture unlike any ever before in the history of the world. It’s not that today’s culture is so hyper-sexualized that makes this time unique. Other civilizations in history have matched us in that regard. What makes this era so unique, however, is the combination of being hyper-sexualized and digitally-connected.

No parents in the history of the world have ever raised kids in a time like this. Never.

Why Parents Are better Than The Internet

It’s time you face it: The internet has you beat when it comes to conversations with your kids about romance, dating, and sex.

I’m not suggesting you throw your hands up and walk away, but every good parent needs to know what they’re up against, and well, when it comes to sex, the internet is really tough competition.

Your kids will never catch the Internet at a bad time.
YouTube doesn’t get too busy to meet them after a hard day.
Netflix will never be too tired to talk.
Urban dictionary won’t ever respond to your kids’ questions with, “Ask your mother.”
Your kids will never hear Google say, “We’ll talk about this when you’re older,” or “Where did you hear that word!?” or “Why do you want to know about that?”
The internet will never be shocked or embarrassed by your kids’ search history.
The internet will never embarrass your kids for what they ask or read or view.
Your kids will never stump the Internet. They’ll never have a question the Internet can’t or won’t answer.

Bottom line, the digital age in which our kids are growing up and the sexually confusing and enticing ideas and images coming at them from every direction means we parents need to step up our game.

7 Things Not to Do When Your Child’s Exposed to Porn

We love the innocence of little children. They see the world through fresh eyes, laugh easily, dance without feeling embarrassed. Being around them even helps us to see the world differently.

Many summers ago, a little girl was visiting our family and playing outside when it started to rain. Hard. We all ran for shelter. As we stood staring out at the pouring rain, I wondered how disappointed the girl was that the rain had interrupted her play. The next moment, she looked over at me with a bright smile and said, “I love the rain. It’s so happy!”

Naturally, we want to protect the innocence of children we love as long as we can. And it is an uphill battle:

• Eight-year old Owen was curious and did a web search of the word “boobies.”
• A boy in Timmy’s class was showing kids naked images of women on his iPhone.
• Katie was looking up pictures of bunnies she could draw.
• His older brother was careful to skip over inappropriate YouTube videos when Sam was watching with him. But Sam noticed those videos and felt drawn to them. He found a way to come back later to watch the videos his older brother avoided.

Scripture ON Parenting Sexuality

Joshua 1:9
1 Corinthians 13:13
Ephesians 6:4
Luke 15:20
Exodus 12:25-27
Philippians 4:8
Proverbs 22:6
Matthew 19:14
Romans 2:4

Recommended Books

The Porn Myth by Matt Fradd
Wired for Intimacy by William Struther
Drug of the New Millennium by Mark B. Kastleman
Families Where Grace Is In Place by Jeff VanVonderen
Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas
Before The Sex Talk: A Theology of the Body Approach for Parents and Mentors by Linda Beth Noble and Linda Marie Stewart
Brainstorm: The Power and Purpose of the Teenage Brain by Daniel J. Siegel, M.D.
Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood by Lisa Damour

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Parenting Sexuality