Wednesday, January 6, 2010

to young to know?

 part 1

i've been contemplating  whether or not to write about this. Wondering who would judge me as a parent, or as a person, but the more i've thought about it, prayed about it, i believe i did the right thing. I can see now that God was preparing me and getting me ready for the biggest question a parent will answer. I am so thankful God is my life!

I was at the book store with Leighton and Hayden, a while back,  I would say at least 5 months ago, if not longer. I remember it was warm enough not to have jackets on, and we had just got done at the Library, and since I found nothing at the library, we decided to head to the christian book store next store. While in the bookstore i wanted to find a really good book, a novel, I love christian romance, but couldn't find anything that really caught my eye. I don't want mushy gushy, Oh golly, i'm perfect God loving women kind of books, I love the real, i make mistakes, God loves anyways, kind of books, and sometimes this is hard to find! Anyways Leighton hands me a book and says "mommy you should get this book", so I look at it, I see why she picks it out, a mother and daughter are on the beach twirling, and laughing, on the white and bluish cover. I read the title preparing your daughter for every woman's battle hmmm...i thought what battle? in little letters underneath the title it says creative conversations about Sexual and Emotional Integrity. I wanted to say Leighton you have no idea what this book is about, but it caught my interest. So I skimmed through it, and thought this is actually pretty good, it recommended that you should talk to your daughter about sex between the ages of 8-14, my daughter is 8. So needless to say I bought the book. Read it opened my eyes, and my heart again to God's design, but also to a very lost generation, of not just daughters, teenagers, but mothers, or parents.

I read the book, it is so good, shocking, eye opening, convicting, and helpful. but decided that Leighton wasn't ready for the talk, that I would wait until next year when she turned 9. even though I did have a basic conversation about her body, and how one day she would get a period, and that getting a period had to do with having babies. i never went into a lot of detail, at this point she still just thought God put the babies in there, and no-one else had anything to do with it. (which we all know God is the giver of life, so for right now this was fine for me)

The other night me and benji sat on the couch watching entertainment tonight, and a women had said that her father had sex with her, we didn't realize Leighton had walked into the room, she said "what's sex?" I did not want to tell her this way, especially after hearing it in the way she heard it, that a father had sex with his daughter, how could i even begin to explain to her that sex is a good God given gift, if the first time she asked me it was about sexual abuse? At first I told her, I will tell you another time, but she kept asking "what's sex?", she asked 3 times in a row, like a kid tends to do, "what's sex, what's sex, what's sex", then she says I know what it is, I said oh you do, what is it. She said "It's when a boy kisses a girls butt"  I told her that is not sex, but knew that I had to tell her, I looked at benji, and he said, "you have to tell her", I knew it was time, in fact at that very moment, I had realized her time was 5 months ago when I had bought the book, when I saw God leading me, and preparing me for this conversations with my daughter. I could have spared her from hearing what sex was from a 1st grader, I could have started the conversation right, and not trying to confuse her with trying to figure out how to explain it without the father having sex with his daughter. But like most parents, we think our kids are to young, and innocent, we believe sex is for when they get older, we are scared to ruin them. But are we ruining, or taking away innocents, by sharing God's perfect design, by His gift, His way. Isn't it the devil and the world that has ruined what God has meant to be beautiful.

I took Leighton upstairs to my bedroom, and explained from the basics of her body, to a mans body, then to sex, and how a baby is made. I explained to her, that God designed it so perfectly, that it's a good thing. She had a lot of questions, and i gave her all the honest answers. there are things said that I laugh at,(not at her or too her, just to myself) because of the innocence behind the question. It feels different knowing that she knows, but it hasn't changed her innocence, it hasn't taken away from who she is.

I started wondering if I had done the right thing, was she to young to know? What if I hadn't told her, I had asked God did I do the right thing? This is all that I know, I truly believe I did the right thing, What if I had told her, she wasn't old enough, or not right now, or I'll tell you when I'm ready, or when I think your ready. She may get her answer from someone else, or not feel like she could ever ask me agian, because how would she know when she's old enough? she may go and seek the answers for herself, and feel that she can never freely ask me anything again. I believe I opened up our relationship, I believe she got the God given facts, what God says, she learned that no-matter what, mommy and daddy are here for her, she can come to us about anything, and we'll give her those answers she wants. I believe this is the first steps of having a real relationship in those teenage years, that kids tend to get lost, and think there parents don't know anything.

And this is where my heart is.....How do we save our girls, our kids, from leading a lifestyle, where sex is just apart of it....How do we let our kids know that sex is meant to be saved for marriage, not just because it's what we parents tell them that God says, but why does God say it? Why does He care? it's allowing our kids to know that they are Worth everything in the sight of God....How is this accomplished, I don't know all the answers, but I know God has put this on my heart, it's up to us as parents, to give them the tools they need while they are young....

For the sake of this blog being way to long, I have decide to write another part....another time,
My heart
a desire God has given me for so long

3 comments:

  1. you did the right thing, and your heart was SO right on keri! God protected that coversation and Leighton is at the age where she believes everything her mommy and daddy say, and I think you have done a great thing! Gosh, you and Benji are SUCH awesome parents!

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  2. i've always admired so much your ability to be so open with your children. i know that leighton will never forget that conversation, and that she'll always know who to come to when a question arises in the future. and that's just the way God wants it to be. you're an excellent mother, and i bet the Holy Spirit was sitting there right next to you on that bed, giving you each and every word to speak. keri, you're so amazing and remind others so well that it's the PARENT'S responsibility to raise their children- no one else's...

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  3. Where is part 2?!?!?! I check every day waiting for the update!

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