My family and I went to a book store last Monday to buy some supplies. As we were getting ready to pay and line up at the counter, King told me to go to the other one. There was no one in line, so I started to protest. Then I saw, just as he was telling me, the magazine with a pornographic cover. (Here we go again with women being used as tools.) I don’t know what publication it was, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what they call an “adult magazine.” They’re also prevalent in convenience stores and when the kids are with me, I quickly turn them around so we only see the back cover. It pains me to know that they have seen some of them before. We have grown more aware and alert about these things.
Anyway, I immediately took the girls and motioned for them to go the opposite direction before they noticed the magazine. One counter was closed and there were a few people lined up in the other. Even though it was a tad inconvenient, it was an easy decision to make.
I am so thankful that my husband and I are on the same page when it comes to raising our daughters. We know that we cannot protect them from every evil, disgusting, defiling thing, but we do what we can. My girls are already curious about boys, girls and relationships as it is. We don’t need immodest, obscene pictures of women to pollute their minds.
It’s easy to tell them right now that “it’s not for kids,” but we really don’t want to give them the idea that it’s “okay” to do such things as pose nude or even half-nude when one is an adult. Purity and holiness does not only apply to the young or to certain seasons in life — it applies to all.
We don’t want them to adapt what the world regards as beautiful or cool or good. We hold God’s word as the truth. Their beauty does not depend on their own or others’ idea or depiction of beauty. They are beautiful because they are loved by God. Without God, there is no beauty. Their goodness does not depend on what they do or do not do, or on what other people say or think. They are good only because of the finished work of Jesus. If not for Jesus dying on the cross, taking our sin and giving us His righteousness, no one is good.
Our desire is for our children to live according to the will of God — live their lives to the full, free from the hold of sin, free from condemnation, free from death and the fear of it, free from wanting what the world wants, free to love and serve their Creator, Father, Savior, Lord, Friend, free to love and serve others. This is why we deliberately parent them, teach them, pray for them.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6 NIV
For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. 1 John 2:16 NLT
Phoebe's Sari-Sari Stories 
I share your heart Phoebs. Parents really need to be vigilant against the subtle schemes of the enemy. I remember teaching about the effects of porn and how it broke my heart to hear of children being exposed to those images and how it’s almost impossible to erase them in the head because of certain chemicals emitted by the brain when presented with such. Anyway, I’m glad we don’t need science to move us to actually veer away from pornographic images. We know what will make us impure with God’s word and His Spirit in us to direct us. Once again, thanks for sharing your experience. 🙂
I should really learn this. as a parent, sometimes, it’s easy to take these things for granted