The Strongest Voice To A Child

             “The Strongest Voice to a Child”            Clay Crosse (June 5, 2010)

 

 

      Some friends of ours recently were out on a drive with their children when their eight year old daughter saw something out the window that caught her eye.  “Hey Daddy, look!  That place is called The Pony! What’s The Pony?” she asked.  “Is that some cool restaurant?  I want to go to The Pony!”

 

       The little girl didn’t know that The Pony is actually a strip club. I can understand the awkwardness of the situation as her dad tried to explain such a place to his daughter.

 

      As parents we are all faced with these unexpected instances from time to time.  An image or person or place presents itself in full view of our children and we are forced to keep our composure and define it for what it is.  The thing is, we’d rather not.  After all, they’re so young and shouldn’t have to know about such evil.  We wish that we could simply shield our children from the darkness of the world…but we can’t.  The tough questions from our little will continue.

 

     “Hey Daddy, why did those two policemen have to get shot and killed by those bad men?”

 

      “Mommy, what does a hooker do?”

 

       “Why isn’t there enough food for everyone in the world?

 

      “Dad, what does rape mean?

 

      “What’s suicide?”

 

      “Daddy, why would someone put a baby in a dumpster?”

 

      “Mommy that sign said ‘Adult Gifts and Movies.’ When I grow up, then can I have adult gifts and movies too?”

    

     “Daddy, what is an STD? I heard those letters on a commercial today?”

 

     Pretty awkward huh?  And pretty sad.  Any one of these questions could have come from a child simply playing with their toys in the floor within earshot of any TV or radio broadcast or peering out the car window at a random billboard passing by.

 

     So what do we do, turn off all TVs and radios and put blinders on our kids while in public?  Of course not. Our kids live in the same dark world that we do and there’s no way to completely hide such from them.  There will be many voices and images that they encounter along the way that we would rather them not experience. 

 

     The point to grasp is that as their parent, no voice is stronger than yours.  No voice touches deeper.  No voice last longer in their memory.  No voice is more special in their heart than the voice of Mom and Dad.

 

        Through our ministry HolyHomes, (holyhomes.org) Renee and I challenge homes to really take stock of what is coming in via all entertainment sources.  We should make wise choices in terms of our TV, movies, music, and online activity.  But as I have pointed out, negative things just find their way to our children and they will naturally ask honest questions about them. God has entrusted us, as parents, to be the voice of truth and wisdom in the lives of our children.  They may not realize it, but they desperately need us to point them to the truth through God’s word.

 

       With our children we can thankfully enjoy a world that is beautiful and has amazingly loving people everywhere.  At the very same time though, we are reminded daily that that same world has deeply sinful and sad elements that are unthinkable and frightening.  This darkness will not go unnoticed by precious little eyes and ears.

 

       Mom and Dad, speak wisdom.  Speak love.  Speak hope.  Speak forgiveness.  Speak truth.     (Deut. 11:19, Prov 22:6)