Sex, Drugs, and Media part 4

(This is part 4 of a seven-part series)

The Purity Code
No matter the age of your child, it’s important to teach your children what I like to call “the Purity Code.” Obviously, we need to teach our children about sexuality from an age-appropriate developmental foundation. But even at an early age, we can begin to teach these words:

The Purity Code
In honor of God, my family and my future spouse,
I commit my life to sexual purity. This commitment involves:

• Honoring God with your body
• Renewing your mind for good
• Turning your eyes from worthless things
• Guarding your heart above all else

When they are ages 3 to 5, we teach our children that God created boys and girls who will one day grow up to be mommies and daddies. We help them learn their basic anatomy, including their “private parts.”

Age 6 to 9 is the time of curiosity. We answer their questions (which may even begin at an earlier age) by teaching them about appropriate and inappropriate touch but also beginning to dialog about purity.

Because of the early sexualizing of young people by the culture, parents must be proactive and intentional about building a healthy view of God-honoring sexuality. By the time this new generation of young people are ages 10 to 14, it is our responsibility as parents to communicate clearly about what sex is, what the Bible has to say about it and our expectations for their sexuality. Then, by the time a child is 14, anything goes when it comes to topics and dialog. You may feel awkward in conversation with your kids at first, but the alternative—your children learning what they want and need to know from a secular world that doesn’t share your values—is, believe me, much more painful an option.

You can find more information on HomeWord’s campaign for young people at HomeWord.com. Pure Foundations are excellent resources to help parents of children ages 3 and older live by the Purity Code.

You can find the Pure Foundations series here.