Where Have all the Knights and Maidens Gone?

As we begin to conclude the first decade of the 21st century, many things have changed. We were well on our way to change as we ended the 20th century, but in the past 10 years it seems that societal changes have begun to hit us at light speed. Unfortunately we have come full circle since the Industrial Revolution when children were expected to act like adults and find a job in a dangerous and often deadly occupation like factory work. Now we do not expect our children to perform physically deadly work, but our society has again removed the innocence of childhood by pushing our children into the spiritually deadly realm of forcing them to grow up and behave in ways and be exposed to material and discussions that should be reserved for adults.

When I was a middle school teacher, I felt that my students were being exposed to information by the media that I did not have any knowledge of until I was in late high school or even college. Now in elementary, I am seeing that same knowledge creep down to even lower levels. In many government schools, students are discussing sexual education in lower elementary grades and even kindergarten. The goal and aim of the current public school leadership is for schooling for ages 0-5 with sexual education beginning as low as kindergarten and junior kindergarten, with an emphasis on seeking one's own sexual identity. What kindergartner even needs to have knowledge of what sexual identity is at this age?

The dilemma we face as parents in preserving our children's innocence, is that these influences are everywhere. Many agendas are being slipped between the pages of children's books, and often, we as Christian parents are having our values attacked even in how we raise our children. Mainstream media does not support our efforts in teaching our children the values and beliefs that we hold so dear. It is important as we fight in this often toxic environment to remember to do as we are called and be "in the world, but not of the world". We cannot create a bubble for our children, as much as we would like to, but we must try in every way to shelter their innocence as long as it is healthy and appropriate. There will come a time when we as parents must begin to explain the dangers and pitfalls of the world to our children, lest they become ensnared in its temptations. As parents we must each individually decide when that time comes. It is also important for us to teach the values that are so important to our children as they grow, and to begin at an early age in order to have the most significant impact possible.

Over the next two entries, I will explore how to create a "knight" in your son and a "maiden" in your daughter in this difficult world that we now encounter. Look for each of these two entries over the next few weeks. Please feel free to leave a comment below and share your thoughts on how you have fought to preserve the innocence of your children.

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