Having hard but worthy convos with the next gen

My own story of purity culture was the norm in a way. My parents loved me and showed a good example of sex being pleasurable, but in church, the subject was rarely discussed, and if it was, it was talked about in hushed tones with gossip.

Yet in my public schools, it was the norm to be very sexual from middle school and up. By the time I was sexually active as a late high schooler, I felt both normal and also quite distant from God. I felt like I must not be very special if my body could be used but not cherished.

For those of you who may share my religious convictions, you too may have walked through a journey where you were told that you weren’t acceptable if you’d had sex.

Worse, a boyfriend told me I wouldn’t be loved if I didn’t comply and I felt ashamed. If and when we have any opportunity to be more real and candid with teens, both about God‘s love as well as about healthy sexual practices, they will thrive so much more.

Remember if there are young people in your life, not to be so hard on them but to point them to love and to grace as well as to wisdom.

Help them to know that you are fighting for them with love and not with shame, even if you need to apologize after tempers are lost.

If you still have young ones at home, set healthy boundaries that allow them time socially. As you well know, social standing is so important and faith is too. Kids need to know that they are loved no matter what they do. No matter who they are.

And you need this messaging too. Make sure you check out the episode this week with Sheila Wray Grégoire so you can truly lean into healthy teaching and the fascinating research that we now finally have after all these years, about what we can do to build up our teens well and also our adult children or our friendships or those we nurture in social environments otherwise.

The work for helping the next generation to know they are loved doesn’t stop or start with parenting. It starts and stops with us.

I empower you to lift others up and to learn with me and I hope you truly also take some time to just kick back and have a wonderful family celebration for yourself as you celebrate all this nurture!