Spitting with the wind

Sunday was a blast – a bit stressful at times but what’s fun without a little stress?  The message went by so fast on Sunday that I didn’t have a chance to finish up the “practical tips” for parenting.  Here goes:

Protect and Expose - As we seek to teach our kids about God it is crucial that we protect them – their mind, body, emotion, and spirit.  We are the gatekeepers and need to take that seriously.  Pretty basic stuff.  Just as we wouldn’t allow our children to swim in a sewage treatment plant we need to monitor what our children swim in mentally and spiritually.  Enough said.

In the midst of protecting our kids I believe it is critical to expose them to the “real world” we live in.  At some point, we are charged to release our kids.  They will not be under our protection forever.  Why not prepare them a head of time.  Steve Irwin, the late Crocodile Hunter, though heavily criticized, had this philosophy when he carried his six month old baby into a crocodile exhibit.  In response to being blasted he said, “I would be a terrible father if I didn’t teach my kids about the dangers of their environment.”  In his world, crocodiles are a significant danger.  Exemplifying how to safely interact with a croc makes sense.  What are the dangers that you should be exposing your kids to – things they will come into contact with or without your wisdom.  Protect and expose your kids.