Many years ago, I searched for something on google, and along with relevant searches, a porn site's verbiage came up. My first thought was, "What if this happens to one of my kids when they try and search for something unrelated?" Will they be tempted to look? More than likely, yes! It would be foolish of me to think they wouldn't be. I knew right then, that I needed to address this issue with them. But how do I go about doing that with sparking something? They were only 9, 10, and 15. I found myself getting angry that it was even necessary to talk about this subject with my young son and granddaughters, but it was.
I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I needed to say something. I needed to plant the seeds that I believed they should never engage in looking at pornography. I searched for help. You guessed it- on google. There were many blog posts, but I couldn't see myself finding the right words. Then, there it was! A book!
(For ages 9-? and a Jr. book for ages 3-9) This book is offered on Amazon and has wonderful reviews, so I bought it. Much to my relief, it was everything I needed. It had the words that I didn't, and the illustrations were gentle and relatable.
I sat down with all three of the kids. I told them there was something serious that I needed to talk with them about and showed them the book. They were very quiet while I read it to them and showed them the illustrations. Afterwards, I told them that I believe that our bodies and minds are sacred.
That sharing our bodies with sex is a gift from God and is reserved for a marriage partnership. That we are to protect ourselves as God tells us to in His word. Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your hearts, for everything you do flows from it." I told them that curiosity and temptation is not sin. That sin happens when we act on it. At that time, I didn't talk to them about lust, which I felt was another conversation. I did tell them how some people, when they see those images, may want to see them again and again and how that can become an addiction where it's very hard to stop desiring them. That the images would stay with them forever.
Even if you're not a person of faith (the book does not mention God or faith), we can agree on the fact the pornography industry is built on vulnerable young people. Mostly girls, most of whom are taken or lured away from their families and become addicts. That pornography does not depict an authentic, loving, healthy relationship; but instead is an empty, self-serving addiction that our children need to stay far away from.