Kids Today

I don't think I mentioned it in earlier posts, so if you are following this blog and gradually getting to know me, you may be about to learn something new :-) I am a certified special education teacher (at least for now). My certification will expire in a couple months and I have not applied for a recertification simply because I do not want to spend money on something that I do not intend on needing in the near future. However, I still do occasionally substitute teach in a couple local school districts. I still love teaching and sharing information with kids, so substituting once or twice a month gives me that opportunity. This week I stood in for a high school teacher. I was just blown away by some of the conversations I heard and the words coming from the mouths of those young people. It broke my heart to hear them talk about their experiences with sex or parties or bullies. One young man told a young lady in the class about his "first time" and how he'd cried afterwards because he felt like a bad kid. This tells me that in his core he knows that sex should be reserved for your spouse. I pray that the experience he had gives him the will power to overcome the temptation, should the opportunity of sex ever present itself, and the wisdom to avoid situations that can lead to that temptation.
After overhearing that conversation, I of course, immediately thought of my own children. How am I going to emphasize to them how important it is to preserve your purity for your future spouse? God doesn't just tell us to preserve ourselves to make life difficult for us, He knows the heartache that often happens when sex happens out of wedlock and wants to protect us from that suffering. (Boy, I am so much more wise now than I was before having children of my own!) Isn't it amazing how your perspective changes when you have children of our own?!
One thing that the Praying Parent book taught me is that it's never too early to start praying for our children, even in areas of life that seem so distant. My oldest is only 3, but after hearing what I did in that high school classroom, you'd better bet your bottom dollar that I will be praying from now on that my children value themselves and their purity enough that they wait for their spouse.
Another thing I have done is noticed how many innuendos are said in front of our children. My husband and I are married, but we still "flirt". I have noticed that some of the comments we make, assuming our children don't know what we're talking about, are not appropriate. Although it can be taken as a complement when my husband says something about his physical attraction to me, I also don't want my children to think that my body is the only reason he loves me. When spending time with family or friends, if the television is on "for background sound" there is often attractive women and men in commercials. Many times, someone comments about how "hot" or physically attractive the actors are. What are my kids getting from those comments made to me by my husband or by others about the actors on TV? Are they hearing that our bodies are God's creation and to be shared only with our spouse?
My 3 year old is beginning to understand the concept of privacy. I have made clear to her that she needs to keep herself covered, especially when we have visitors. She still is dependent on adults to help her with toileting and bathing, so she doesn't quite grasp the idea of total privacy. And, she has spent so much time with my parents that I don't think she views them as "visitors".  Now she will tell adults to keep the door closed while she goes potty and she will call them in when she needs them. This closing of the door began after she walked in the bathroom when my mom was on the toilet. Mom let her know that she is not welcome in the bathroom while she is using it, that she needs to knock to ask permission to enter and that she needs her privacy when using the bathroom. So, a big THANK YOU to my mom who (purposely, or not) modeled modesty and the importance of privacy for my child!
Tonight I will pray for God to open my eyes to more opportunities to model modesty now and in the future in a way that is relevant to my children in each stage of their lives.