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Last week I wrote a post on The Ugly Truth that is Destroying the Family. The topic I spoke of was about the dangers of pornography and different facts you may not know. This post will focus on how we can talk WITH our kids, and ways to help avoid pornography. Educating and communicating are the best weapons to fight this “new drug!” Pornography addiction has become a common struggle among many individuals around the world.
There are classes in school and lots of campaigns about “DON’T DO DRUGS” or staying, “DRUG FREE”. The topic of pornography needs to be addressed with equal or more importance. Just like I mentioned in my previous post I mentioned above, pornography is more addictive than cocaine. The brain produces this addictive drug, and is readily available at all times.
Here are some tips to give you the confidence to address this topic with your kids.
TIP #1 – Teach your kids why pornography is harmful!
Just like drugs and smoking, teach your kids the dangers of pornography. Viewing pornography has been proven to damage the pleasure centers in your brain. This makes activities you would normally enjoy, no longer enjoyable.
The ability to love slowly disappears. God gave us these feelings of affection for a reason. They are normal feelings and need to be used for the right purpose. These feelings of affection are for other people, not computers or other devices.
TIP #2 – Teach them what to do when they come across pornography.
The video link at the end of this post explains this in detail. Our kids will be on the Internet, social media, email, and at one time or another, they will accidentally come cross pornography. Whether it is on purpose or on accident, it is important to teach them how to react. Follow these 3 steps…..
- Call it what it is. “This is a bad picture”
- Turn it off or turn away
- Talk to your mom, dad or trusted adult!
TIP #3 – Always keep the internet in public places.
If you are doing anything on the internet, ALWAYS stay in a public place. Do homework, or internet searching out in the main room, where others are. This will be an added protection. If something were to pop up, one will more likely be quick to act. Also, create a docking station for your kids to put their phones and tablets away at a certain time before bed. This keeps them from taking the internet with them to bed.
TIP #4 – Seriously think whether or not your child needs a smart phone with data on it.
A bishop once told me that all of the youth in his ward, who had a smart phone, had been exposed to pornography. It shows up in lots of different forms from, facebook, snapchat, texts, or just the internet. Talk with your child if having data on their phone is really necessary.
TIP #5 – Make this a frequent topic of discussion in your home.
This helps reiterate the importance of avoiding pornography. If they see it is important to you, those feelings will rub off on your kids.
TIP #5- Teach your kids that seeing pornography does not make you a bad person.
There is a difference between seeing pornography and looking for and at pornography. Just like above, teach them what to do when they SEE pornography. If they know this, they will feel more comfortable coming to you when they need you!
TIP #6 – Watch this video with your kids.
If there was one thing you take away from this post it would be this video. Show your kids this short video that explains what pornography is, and how it affects an individual. It is easy to understand and portrays a feeling of confidence in your kids!
I love this quote….
“The world will teach our children if WE do not, and children are capable of learning all the world will teach them at a very young age.”
Rosemary M. Wixom
Let us teach our children! Most of all love our children!
