I am a big fan of Vicki Courtney. She is not afraid to wade into the tough issues of mothering and address them on her blog or in her books. Today she posted a somber, but much needed, blog on sexual predators. I encourage you to click over and read it without fail. She is always insightful and frankly, gutsy. She does not shy away from the tough stuff.
Wednesday night I did a Q&A with some moms and one dad (Kevin Redmond-I am proud of you and was blessed you joined us!). The question came up about sleepovers. I heartily endorsed them and I stand by my answer. Stay with, though, I have a point. I said I thought they were a great way to teach your child self-confidence (he is able to seperate from mom and dad), independence, social skills (how to get along), courage and decision making. All are important social skills and should be developed. (I believe strongly in the importance of learning social skills in order to make a winsome witness for Christ.) Our boys loved to have guests over and to go to the home of friends. My caution is this-you must know the parents well before allowing your child to go. If you have a check in your spirit, forgo the invite. It is likely the Holy Spirit of God. Having said that, you cannot hide behind your own insecuirities and over-protectiveness and refuse to allow your child to enjoy sleepovers or other social settings. They are great ways to teach healthy personal interaction. Since we are a part of the FAMILY of God, I believe in fellowship with the brethren and, don't you know, the sistas! Back to sleepovers. Again I say-you must be careful and know the family well before you allow your child to accept the invitation.
This is why I strongly endorse planting your life in your church home. Find the church the Lord has for you and put down some roots. Get involved and make a ton of like-minded friends. This will automatically put your children in the midst of like-minded families. May I remind you that Jason met his bride, Patti, at church in the youth department when his little brother, Dawson, introduced them. Church attendence and involvement is just plain ole important for a multitude of reasons.
This the point I wanted to make, especially if you were with Kevin and the moms at church on Wednesday night. Vicki states in her blog that they did not allow their kids to sleepover until middle school which I assume is 5th or 6th grade. I bring this all up because we did allow our boys to do this at any earlier age. Again, it depends on the child and the situation. When should you allow your kids to do sleepovers or host them? Well that depends. Seek the Lord and let Him guide and direct you.
These are dark days. I don't need to tell you, do I? So be wise as a serpant and gentle as a dove. Vicki makes the point that children of parents engaged in their lvies and activities are less likely to be victimized. But we must be ever vigilent. There is so much at stake as you raise your little ones! Take heart. Even in these dark days, we serve a risen Savior!
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