This is a question that I receive often from parents.  Some that I talk with realize that the actual user agreement requires those who form an account to be at least 13-years-old, but they wonder whether it’s really so bad for their 11- or 12-year-old to be on the site.  Many that I speak with are unfortunately unaware of the possible risks of the sites, and some of that set have allowed their...

I’m a pretty direct person; if I discovered my husband was looking at pornography, I would talk to him immediately.  Other wives and husbands that I work with don’t take such a direct approach: they feel hurt and betrayed, and, as a result, they shut down, pretend nothing is going on and hide what they’ve discovered.  In truth, it can be very difficult, especially if you have a seemingly...

Last month, I was sitting down with a mom and dad who were angry and heartbroken to learn that their son had been exposed to pornography while at a sleepover at his best friend’s home.  They had noticed a change in their son’s behavior over the course of the week following the sleepover and they received a notice via their parental control software that their nine-year-old son was entering...

Talking about sex or porn for the first time can feel uncomfortable, and most parents feel embarrassed and a bit overwhelmed regarding where to start.  And, as a recent article on Today.com points out, Internet pornography means we need to have the birds and bees conversation earlier than ever.  The article describes how one dad sat down and explained the basics to his son, and when he asked...

Earlier this week, I was talking to a parent of an eleven-year-old.  She is on the cusp of purchasing her daughter a smart phone (all of her daughter’s friends have them already), and she was asking me for some advice.  I always tell parents that if they are going to let their kids use technology (lap tops, cell phones, tablets, gaming devices) they should set up a clear set of...

While the rest of XXXchurch.com will be covering Confessions this month (be sure to check out the other blog sections for their great content!), over here in the Parent’s section of the site, we’ll be focusing on the type of questions we get all the time from parents, which often start like this: “When Should I…?”

Today, I wanted to cover the common question: When Should I Start Using a...

As parents, it can be easy to fall into the trap of advising our children to “do as I say, not as I do”.  I find that the parents of many of the teens I work with are telling their kids to stay “pure” sexually without modeling a pure sexual ethic to their children.  We live in a world where divorces, swinging and affairs are becoming the norm, and our kids feel as if their parents are in some...

It’s likely that when you first realize that your son or daughter wants to date, that you’ll be a little freaked out.  You might think they are too young, or you may worry about all that comes with dating: the emotional pitfalls, the physical struggles and lust, the potential heartbreak, etc.  Well, part of being a parent is being vulnerable to a life of worry for our children, so these...

 Shared with permission from a teeanger I worked with:

Growing up, I didn’t realize how good I had it.  I was the middle child, growing up in the suburbs.  My parents, my siblings and I went to church and attended a public school that set me up well enough to make it into a good college.  It wasn’t until I was in college and was taking part in a small group with my local chapter of...

Around this time of year, I find that many parents are completely unaware of what’s going on in their kids’ lives.  Many kids will be trying to push the limits sexually with their boyfriend or girlfriend; they’ll be sneaking off, planning a special “rendezvous” and telling some bold-faced lies to their parents.  On one hand, kids and teens can be pretty sneaky, and sometimes, they are able to...