Train Up A Child . . .

Last night, Clayn & I were watching Chuck, a show on TV. Well, Chuck & one of the other characters, started "getting it on!" If you know what I mean, so I looked at Clayn, and we changed the station.
Tess looks at us & says, "What, you didn't want me to see the boy & the girl kissing & going to bed together?"
We looked at each other & turned the TV off. I proceeded to tell Tess, that you don't kiss & go to bed with anybody until you are married.
She said, "I know that Mom!"
Mom - "Oh you do, do you?"

Now, remember that she is only 5 years old.

Tess - " Yes, Mom I do!"
Mom - " What do you know?"
Tess - " You have to date first."
Mom - "You don't date until you are 16."
Tess - "Is that a long time?" (Oh, Brother!!! HELP!) Mom - "YES!"
Dad pipes in, - "You only date boys who we know, and you only marry a returned missionary, who go to church, you get married in the Temple and you never sneak out."
Here's the kicker, she informed that her & Marin our neighbor had been playing & were playing that they were sneaking put & going on dates. OH, Really!
Mom -" You never sneak out!! Ever! We will know & then you will really be in trouble. We will let you go & be with your friends, but you have to tell us the truth."
Tess - "Mom, I will!"
Mom - "So, what do you do on dates, Tess?"
Tess - "Well, you can go to the zoo, & see wild animals. You can go to the movies. And on really special dates, you get dressed up, & go to dinner at night & you can go to a Museum, and gaze at stars."
WOW, quite impressed! I'm not sure about the star gazing, bit!

Am I really having this conversation with my 5 year old! WOW, all I can say is that we have to be as open & honest as we can with our children. If they don't learn how to make good choices, and how to live their lives from us, then they will learn it from the world. So, I guess it we have to have this "Dating" conversation with our 5 year old, then we will have it know & many times more!

I went to the churches web site & was searching about how to teach our children & I came across this :

Elder Joe J. Christensen of the Seventy taught:

“Do not be afraid to set clear moral standards and guidelines. Be sure to say no when it is needed. … Let [your children] know that there are some things that, as members of your family, you simply do not do. Some parents seem to be almost pathologically concerned about their children’s popularity and social acceptance and go along with many things that are really against their better judgment, such as expensive fads, immodest clothes, late hours, dating before age sixteen, R-rated movies, and so on. For children and parents, standing up for what is right may be lonely at times. There may be evenings alone, parties missed, and movies which go unseen. It may not always be fun. But parenting is not a popularity contest” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 13; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 11).

We have a rough road ahead of us, times will be hard. This is not real NEWS! We know this. However, with having Heavenly Father on our side, and we will be able to have his support only if we pray for his help & guidance. We may not have a popular choice to make, but when has Choosing The Right, ever been easy or convenient. I love the scripture in Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way, he should go, and when he is old, he will depart from it."

So, the Moral of the story is this : Do not under estimate your children & do not assume that just because they are little, they don't know or understand. They do! They are smart & bright children that will lead us into the future. So, truly the future is in our hands! Let us guide them well!!!