The reality quickly surfaced that we can’t protect our kids from every bad conversation and influence. Instead, we need to equip them.
With our kids in activities, public school, and simply being around other kids day to day (like at an Easter brunch playing cornhole), inappropriate topics arise.
We get to be the ones to teach them how to handle situations like these. And if we don’t, they will learn on their own. If I want to be that safe haven they come to with questions and concerns, I need to welcome these conversations.
My goal is that my kids would have the wisdom and discernment to be able to walk away when tougher situations arise. So, I had the conversation with them:
If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, walk away.
Is someone says not to tell your parents, you walk away and tell us.
If someone shares inappropriate things, walk away.
If someone tries to show you something inappropriate, walk away.
If a conversation is not pleasing to the Lord, walk away.
The two words I should have taught them: Walk Away.
But part of parenting is learning, so I welcomed God’s grace.
Where there are mistakes, there is grace. Where we miss something, there is redemption. What started off as a bad situation was redeemed and a golden conversation came from it.
If we arm our kids with the empowering words, “walk away”, hopefully as they get older and face tougher peer pressure, they will have the discernment and confidence to be a leader and walk away.
