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The Amish Voice 11
Teaching and Equipping Our Children For Life
—Joe Keim
This article goes right along with another one I
wrote for this issue of the Amish Voice, called
Fornication, Adultery, and Homosexuality
. If you
read it first, this one will make more sense to you.
Having children and raising a family is not easy—it takes time,
patience, sweat, tears, sleepless nights, prayer, and lots of training.
As parents, we know we only have a limited
amount of time—perhaps 19 to 20
years—before the child is fully grown
and ready to go on his own. During
that limited time, parents will do their
best to teach each child to refrain
from lying, stealing, swearing, and
fighting with their siblings. Most
parents will go to great measure to
teach their children how to work
hard, be responsible, get an
education, eat right and follow
God. Why? Because our goal is
to prepare them to one day make
it on their own.
Sadly, though, many parents
stop short of teaching their
children anything about sex,
pregnancy, and the birth of babies. To some parents, these topics
are forbidden outside a closed bedroom door and should only be
discussed between husband and wife. To others, using the word
“sex” in front of a young single adult is almost as bad as swearing.
Today, however, I would like to challenge you to think differently.
1. Most children will hear about sex and having babies before
they are 15 years old. Where do they get their information?
From friends who heard it from other friends. In most cases,
the topic is treated as a joke, and everybody laughs about it.
Most of the time, they only learn half the truth; the rest is
twisted and misunderstood.
2. If kept within God’s guidelines, sex can be a pleasurable
bonding time between husband and wife. However, God’s gift
of sex can also turn into pain and shame when used outside of
His guidelines. Some readers know what I’m talking about,
because they have been there and are now paying the price.
3. John Regier says,
“98% of couples who
come for marriage
counseling had sex
before
marriage.”
Sadly, most of these
couples started out on
the
wrong path,
simply
because
parents did not sit
down and prepare
them.
This leads me to
share
something
personal with you
that took place in
our own family.
When our children
turned seven years old, Esther and I sat down with each one
separately and read
The Story of Me
(Book 1). When they turned
eight or nine, we read
Before I Was Born
(Book 2). By the time
they reached 12 years old, our children knew everything about
God’s design for their bodies, the gift of sex, and how babies
are born. Not one stone was left unturned.
The books I just described are listed on the next
page and can be ordered from us. They are
Christian-based and were used as a guide that
led us into family discussions.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the
way he should go: and
when he is old, he will not
depart from it.
Explained
When your child comes
to the doorway of life,
ready to walk alone, and
to choose his own direc-
tion—stop at
this en-
trance, and begin a series
of instructions, such as
how he is to conduct him-
self in every step he
takes.
Show him the duties, the
dangers, and the bless-
ings of the path; give him
directions on how to per-
form the duties, how to
escape the dangers, and
how to secure the bless-
ings, which all lie before
him. —Joe Keim
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