Who's Doing What?

With all the dangers of Pornography all around us one might ask, what is being done about it?

The answer.... there's always more to do! While completely banning pornography becomes a fight for First Amendment rights, protecting our children and youth from the destructive effects of pornography is within all of our rights!

There are three main players in fighting against Pornography, Fight the New Drug, National Center on Sexual Exploitation, and Citizens for Decency. All three of these organizations are doing everything they can to fight against pornography. They have great resources and up to date information on what is being done to fight pornography as well as the success stories they have had. It would be good if we could all in some way get involved in one of these great organizations and volunteer some of our time to fight against Pornography. 

The Biggest victories that we have seen so far is that this summer The Republican National Committee has recognized that pornography is a national health crisis! We need the Democratic National Committee to do the same!

McDonald's and Starbucks, in partnering with Enough is Enough, to filter their public WiFi to prevent access to pornography.

Idaho State Law, now requires child-friendly Internet filters in all Idaho public schools and a yearly, mandatory, Internet safety education component for both students and teachers.

All Idaho public libraries to have Internet filters to protect children from accessing pornography.

And on March 11, 2016 in Utah, they passed a resolution declaring pornography as a public health crisis. Check it out here: Concurrent Resolution on the Public Health Crisis.

These movements have proved helpful, but so much more needs to be done. Parents should not have to worry that the children will stumble across porn with a mistyped word while googling something, or stumble across and inappropriate picture when looking for something in Google Images. More needs to be done! Our kids have a right to be protected!  More can be done with our help! Let's get involved and help protect our children and our families!

Pictures from http://www.clipartkid.com/question-mark-cliparts/

"We Don't Have Secrets"

Parents, it is so important to foster open communication with your children, especially when it comes to pornography. Help your children feel comfortable to talk to you about this subject by spending time with them frequently, strengthening your relationship with them, engaging in open conversation with them regularly and being approachable, kind and loving. If your children are afraid that they will get in trouble if they tell you they encountered pornography or that you will judge them harshly, they will not approach you and tell you.

Avoiding pornography and the dangers of pornography should be a constant conversation between you and your children. The more you talk about it with them in a loving manner, the more open they will be with you and the more comfortable they will feel to approach you.

Teach your children that families don’t keep secrets from each other. Families, talk to each other, confide in each other and help each other. Establish that in you family, you don’t have secrets. You have open communication and loving relationships.

Open Door Policy

Here’s an idea to help everyone in your family avoid doing or seeing something naughty on the computer: have an open door policy. An open door policy means that no doors are shut in your house. This works great for a family with young kids. When doors are open, it’s less likely that someone will get up to no good, and if they do, you as parents will be aware.

Your Child Will Encounter Pornography

Nowadays, it is pretty inevitable that every child will encounter some form of pornography. You, as parents have to realize and accept that if your child hasn’t already, they will encounter some form of pornography. I was having a chat with my Aunt the other day, who has 7 kids, and she shared with me how she has recently come to the realization that most of her kids have encountered some kind of pornography by accident, whether it was from the internet in a pop-up add or an e-mail.

So what can you do?

You have to talk to your children. You have to teach them what pornography is, why it is bad, how they can avoid it and how they can resist the temptation. You have to also remember, that you are not a horrible parent if your child encounters pornography. The best you can do is teach them how to defend themselves against pornography.

What's the Big Deal About Pornography?

Parents here is another great Resource for you to add to your bookshelf when teaching your children about the dangers of Pornography. What's the Big Deal about Pornography by Dr. Jill Manning does an excellent job of laying the facts out as to why Pornography is so bad. This book is specifically designed for teens to read as she addresses all kinds of questions and concerns when it comes to Pornography. One reader wrote, "Well written in a question/answer format that is "user friendly". A wealth of information for youth to read directly, as well as their parents. Ant adult will be well informed & armed with solid strategy & clarity to deal with a most damaging issue of our day." Pick up your copy today! 

Mobile Devices are the Biggest Culprit

image source: wirefly.com

Many children, youth, and adults are innocently exposed to pornography, but a growing number of both men and women are choosing to view it and are drawn back repeatedly until it becomes an addiction. These individuals may desire with all of their hearts to get out of this trap but often cannot overcome it on their own. How grateful we are when these loved ones choose to confide in us as parents or a leader. We would be wise not to react with shock, anger, or rejection, which may cause them to be silent again.

We as parents and leaders need to counsel with our children and youth on an ongoing basis, listening with love and understanding. They need to know the dangers of pornography and how it overtakes lives, causing loss of the [self-worth], distorted feelings, deceit, damaged relationships, loss of self-control, and nearly total consumption of time, thought, and energy.

Pornography is more vile, evil, and graphic than ever before. As we counsel with our children, together we can create a family plan with standards and boundaries, being proactive to protect our homes with filters on electronic devices. Parents, are we aware that mobile devices with Internet capacity, not computers, are the biggest culprit?

from a talk given by Linda S. Reeves

5 Top Questions About Teaching Children and Teens

image source: http://blog.commlabindia.com

1. What if talking about pornography makes my child curious and they go look for it?

2. What age is the right time to start talking about pornography with my kids?

3. How do I start a conversation about pornography?

4. What are the most important things for our family to do to prevent pornography problems?

5. How can parental controls help our family?

For help to answer these question: CLICK HERE