How To Keep Your Kids On the Path of Purity
“S-E-X”.
Three simple letters. Yet, how often are parents befuddled and afraid when the time comes to talk to their kids about it.
Beyond simply communicating the facts and the dos and don’ts, we Christian parents also have a burden for our children’s purity, knowing that it is constantly under assault by media and society (orchestrated by you-know-who).
We were thus happy to have Ms Julie Hiramine speak on this topic at a parenting seminar held at LCOR on 17 November 2018 (Sat).
Julie is the Executive Director of Generations of Virtue, a ministry which she started in 2003. The ministry is committed to teaching sexual wholeness and integrity, building family relationships, and equipping families to transform culture. As an internationally noted speaker, Julie has ministered in many nations to thousands of parents, teens, and children.
The seminar on 17 November consisted of a morning session for parents of kids 9 and younger, and an afternoon session for parents of teens 10 to 14 years old. In between, there was an hour-long break where some of the attendees enjoyed lunch and fellowship.
Strategies for Parents of Kids 9 and younger
In the morning session titled “Guardians of Purity”, Julie spoke on how to foster open lines of communication and be the source of information for our children when it comes to sexuality, future relationships, and the pressure to conform to the world.
She compared our children’s hearts to wet cement, which we need to imprint with the Word and godly values while it is still easy to do so, before they harden over time. She had some suggestions on how this could be done, for example, by building family connectedness and spiritual foundations, setting clear expectations, giving positive input, and having fathers involved in raising kids.
Strategies for Parents of Teens 10 to 14 years old
In the afternoon session titled “Adolescence 101”, we learnt about navigating the intensive and strategic period of adolescence, guiding our kids with grace and open communication as we rely on God to mature each child into the man or woman He designed them to be.
Julie shared some useful tips, e.g. how to talk to our kids about puberty (with the help of materials and even going on a retreat with them) and how to manage their phone usage.
Timely and Well Received Advice
Both sessions were well received, with more than 40 attendees each, comprising brothers and sisters from Lutheran churches as well as other churches.
Besides benefiting from the practical advice and pointers that Julie shared, many attendees also went home laden with parenting books and resources purchased from the book table set up by the Singapore Bible Society.
LCOR is glad to have had the opportunity to bless parents and families through this talk.
~ Wong Manquan
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