Over protecting your kids?

I saw a quote once that read, “Are you sheltering your children? Good for you!” It made me take a step back think of how negatively people (myself included) can take the word sheltering or overprotection. We often forget that this is our job to protect and shelter them from the storms of life. Why is it that the so called, “Good,” parents expose their children too early to the hatred of this world. Some would even consider them responsible. They are essentially robbing their children of their sweet innocent years. I wish I were still sheltered for goodness sakes! I would love to not know about all the terrible things that go on around me!

With that being said I don’t think there is such a thing as sheltering your kids too much. I think the difference lies in how we as parents are EQUIPPING them. The definition of equip is to supply them with the necessary items for a particular purpose. As we, the over protective parents, prayerfully allow our children to be exposed to our world we should simultaneously be providing them with the necessary and accurate information to help mold their ideas into a Biblical world view.

This can all go wrong in two ways. The first is that we have no gate, sensors, or watch over our children. We assure ourselves by thinking that they will learn it soon anyway. This gives the devil an extreme advantage to whisper lies into their ear and can leave us with arms up in their teenage years wondering what happened.

This scenario could also go the opposite way. We pull our gate and reigns back so tightly that there are never any discussions as they grow or opportunity for God to use them to bring tough issues to light.

In either scenario there is no equipping. Both can be negligent in their own ways. It’s a tough job. We must pray continually for discernment on the right times and things that are appropriate to expose them to and how best to do it. Also a prayer of how to best prepare them for the challenges they will face with knowing information.

I personally am nowhere near the point of exposing my children to anything outside our Christian bubble at this point. My oldest is quite a curious and inquisitive soon to be five year old. As of now I am giving her one of the greatest gift I can by keeping her that wild child girl that flips cart wheels everywhere she goes.

I can begin to equip her now by teaching her to sit like a lady, be kind when you don’t want to be, and pray about everything. There is a fine line to this parenting thing. We must constantly pray for wisdom and guidance.