(steps onto soapbox)…OK, Ladies! Buckle up, because I’m about to make some of you uncomfortable – some of you are going to squirm and frankly, I don’t care. Go ahead and take deep breaths because here it goes… it’s time to talk about sex.
Yep, I said it – Sex. Many of you have young children and are dreading the basic talk with them and I know you’re calculating in your head how long you can put this off. My advice is – DON’T! The age of children – CHILDREN – becoming sexually active is getting younger and younger and it’s our job to make sure they’re informed and know not only the physical consequences of sex but the emotional and spiritual ones, as well.
I have 2 girls in their 20s who thankfully remained virgins – the first until marriage and the 2nd is hanging in there single. I remember my youngest coming home from college for the first time and saying “Mom, I’m the only virgin in the freshman dorm” …and she was going to a Christian college. I wish I could take credit, but I simply can’t. Well, maybe a little because I threatened every boy that took them out. I told every one of them I would hunt them down like a dog if they did anything to my girls. My oldest told me the boys were more afraid of me than her dad. Good!
We took them to church faithfully, but that’s not enough. We (well, mostly Mom – Dads don’t always do well with this subject with their daughters) talked very openly and honestly with them – much to their embarrassment – but that’s not enough. I know tons of young people who knew it was the wrong thing to do – their parents did absolutely nothing wrong and they still succumbed to the temptation. I have to give credit to my girls. They hung in there and were strong with their convictions. I thank God that he gave them each a backbone to stand up to the temptation of hormones and peer pressure. I have to admit, I’m very proud of them.
As I work with kids each week, I can’t help but wonder when I look at those 5th grade girls if they’re prepared for what’s about to hit them (if it hasn’t already). Do they know that they are wonderful just as they are? Do they know that sex is not going to make them more popular or happier? Are they going to let someone talk them out of the most precious gift they can give one day? I remember asking my son-in-law after he asked for my daughter’s hand in marriage if he realized how very special a gift he was getting from her. I wanted him to understand how important it was that he cherish her because of that. He does, and I’m so very thankful for that.
Moms, please don’t be afraid to broach this subject with your daughters AND sons. It’s so very important. God has entrusted these precious lives to us and we owe it to them to be sure they are well informed and prepared. You don’t have to be graphic – just honest. Pray! God will give you the words. (off soapbox)
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God. 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5