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Dangers to Our Families #1 Today we will begin a series of lessons based on some of the dangers we as parents are facing. Most parents love their children more than their own lives. Our worst nightmares occur when something happens to our children. I can not image the pain parents go through when they lose a child. We try our best to provide a safe environment for them to live. We protect them the best we can. But are we doing a good job of it? Are we aware of the world our children are facing each day? Do we know their friends, are we up on their lingo, do we see the warning signs of danger? In times past, the top concerns of parents were illnesses such as polio, cancer, and other childhood diseases. This was followed by satisfying their physical needs such as food, clothing, and shelter. I grew up in the Westend of Louisville, which was and is one of the rougher areas of town. Yet we were allowed to play outside by ourselves as children. We could go to the local park to play basketball without having to carry a gun. Now parents are afraid to leave their children home alone. Drug dealers, drive-by shootings, and other acts of violence are some of the reasons parents are afraid for their children. Let’s suggest a few reasons why things have changed and what we as parents should remember. It used to be that parents watched out for each others children. By "watched out for" I mean they kept an eye on all the children. If someone threatened another parent’s child it did not matter, the parent present would protect the child. Also, if the child got out of line the parent did what was necessary to get them back in line. That does not seem to be the rule today. As often as not, correcting someone else’s child will get you in trouble with the parents of that child. Some people do not discipline their children and they don’t want anyone else doing so either. Therefore, parents have learned to let the children do what they want. In many cases there are no parents present to watch over the children. Mom and Dad are at work when their children come home, so no adult knows what is going on at their home or other people’s homes. Results are increasing teenage pregnancies, pornography in the home, and drugs in the home. We as parents can not isolate our children. We must take the time to talk with and instruct our children, Ephesians 6.4. Children should not be allowed to run like wild animals and do whatever they want, whenever they want. At the same time we realize bad things can still happen to our children. Parents are not to just worry themselves to death. I know of people that are so paranoid, they get too strict with their children. Results are children rebelling against Mom and Dad. We can understand some simple facts. In 1999 there were 1,800 children killed in the United States. That sounds like a lot of children are dying from some type of violent crime, but since 1993 the rate has been declining. Most of the violent deaths of young people have been and continue to be in large towns. Small towns and rural communities have been and continue to be safe places to rear children. 85% of all counties in 1999 did not have a single child killed in it. Other surprising facts are: there are roughly 100 stranger abductions each year; 1/3 of children abductions occur within a 1/2 block of their house; and 57% of child abduction murders are committed by a stranger. What does this mean and what are we to do? First, where we live does make a difference in how safe our children are. Second, we can teach our children to be careful. Teach them to not go places by themselves, Ecclesiastes 4.9 points out there is strength and safety in numbers. Tell them to trust their fear instinct. If they feel uncomfortable around somebody or some place, to get out of there. The greatest danger most children will face is not from a stranger, but bad parents. Child abuse occurs everyday throughout this nation and most of the time it is from one or both of the parents. Articles of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse fill the newspapers of our land. Parents selling their children to pedophiles to support their drug habit; starving their children to death; keeping them locked up in a basement for years without proper food, clothing, or medical attention; are just a few of the recent articles that comes to my mind. We as parents must fulfill our responsibility to our children. That will eliminate a lot of the dangers our children are facing. At the same time we realize random acts of violence do occur. Young people do get abducted and drive-by shootings do occur. We must act by faith and let God take care of the rest. D.T. |