Do you have the courage to guard your children? We must protect them and ourselves from unwanted influence. We must be able to see when our parenting values are attacked and our standards questioned. Children depend on us for protection. Discernment is our best tool.

 

Here is what most concerns me lately… I think that we have become too trusting. And because we are overly trusting, we become easily misled. When we put our guard down, our children are at risk of being taken advantage of.

 

 

Discernment is a skill every parent should have. 

 

It helps us make good decisions on behalf of our children, and helps get our power back in parenting. You owe this to yourself and your children. Discernment is a mix of common sense with a healthy dose of skepticism. 

 

And let me tell you, there is a lot to be skeptical about. Especially when it comes to what is being pushed into our parenting world and in front of our children. Previously, we talked about using discernment when it comes to screen time and gadgets, but this issue is bigger than that. We must guard ourselves and our children from these unwanted influence. We must learn to see when our standards are questioned and when our values are being compromised.

 

Have you been sensing an attack on your values? 

 

Through clever marketing we are being convinced to accept the unacceptable, to change our standards, to compromise our values. This isn’t a small matter. Because, you see, when our values are compromised, people with nefarious agendas get access to our children. 

 

Between those people and our children stand we, the parents, and the choices we make. We have to make choices guided by our values as opposed to influenced by marketing and snake oil salesmen. This is especially true when it comes to our children. They depend on us for protection.

 

Parents under influence cannot protect their children. 

 

People under the influence lose their ability to be alert and aware, to stay rational and make decisions that serve them well. Social influence has the same effect. As parents, we experience this influence coming not only from the marketers, but also from false authorities, biased experts, the Joneses of our neighborhoods, and on and on. The minute you begin to pay attention, you will see this everywhere.

 

When we idolize something or someone, we suspend our critical faculties. We also suspend judgment and disbelief. We let go of natural filters and cognitive boundaries of our mind and let the idol influence our thoughts, our beliefs, our choices, and our actions. 

 

Discernment is a form of courage. 

 

Instead of yielding to group pressure or blindly following the voices of the crowd, we should listen to our own heart. We must be asking questions. Who is talking and why am I listening? Does this person share my values? Does this agency have my best interest in mind? What about the interest of my children?

 

It takes courage to ask some of these questions, but they help us make choices that protect our children. We cannot parent on auto-pilot. Use your discernment and have the courage to guard your children. 

 

 

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