Protecting Your Child's Heart

I have felt compelled to write a blog post in response to Kim K’s most recent internet posting.  For those of you who don’t know, Kim posted a naked photo of herself to Instagram.  The response to this photo, while not surprising, has ranged from disgust to praise.  Some of her ardent critics have attempted to shame her for a racy photo while others’ have praised her calling it, “female empowerment”.
Wherever you land on this topic, there is a deeper issue at hand that is not being addressed.  How are young girls and boys receiving this photo?  How are their hearts being protected? We live in an age where mostly anything goes and passing judgement on someone for what they choose to engage in, is not cool. 

After all we’re just islands of oasis, right?  What we do and say doesn’t positively or negatively impact someone else, right?

Kim K’s choice to express herself in this manner teaches young girls that to gain attention you must take your clothes off, teaches women to be beautiful they must attain a body like Kim.  These rules are unspoken but create devastating anxiety and depression within young girls and women every day.  They believe they are not worth anything or valued and those beliefs are reinforced all the time with stunts like the one Mrs. K pulled.
What about young boys?  What will they think? How will they respond to Mrs. K’s nude photo? 

Are we, as parents asking these questions?

Boys’ hearts and minds need to be protected and guided just as much as girls.  I have counseled too many 9-12yo boys that have very poor views of women.  Boys need to be taught that women, girls are not objects.  Boys need to learn that females are not simply to be used for sex.  Boys need to learn that sex is something of value and not something you buy out of a vending machine.  The danger in Kim K’s actions, are that they will create a generation of men that will expect women to look a certain way, act a certain way and value sex over intimacy.

What can parents do when a celebrity such as Kim K, does what she does?

Parents have 100% responsibility in what their children view just as celebrities have a responsibility to curate an image that is respectable, admirable, an image that children can look up to.The truth is that even if parents took away all social media from their children, there would still be ads, commercials, movies, TV, video games, the internet, books magazines, etc.

That is why I believe it imperative that we protect our children’s hearts and minds.  As parents we should be in no rush to grow them up or give them more independence than what’s developmentally appropriate.  We need to set realistic standards of beauty, relationships and community, which will only come through modeling.
Parents we must shepherd their boys’ and girls’ hearts for they will turn into men and women that are either respectable and understand the influence of their actions on others’ or that they will always be seeking validation, never be satisfied and willing to do anything just to feel good about themselves.

Children are valuable, protect their hearts.

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