Is your home and family protected? Are the children in your life empowered against evil? That is the question President Boyd K. Packer helps us consider in a talk from the April 2013 General Conference illustrating the importance of looking out for those we love.
Using a personal story as a parable, President Packer shared a tragic scene he witnessed in his own backyard involving house finches and an unwelcome intruder, shown in this short video:
“Not in the 50 years we had lived in our home had we seen anything like that”
This story illustrates the reality that even in our own homes we are not immune to attacks of the adversary. It is vital that we take the necessary precautions to warn, teach and protect our family members – especially our vulnerable children and teenagers – about the real and present dangers of .
“We live in a very dangerous world that threatens those things that are most spiritual. The family, the fundamental organization in time and eternity, is under attack from forces seen and unseen. The adversary is about. His objective is to cause injury. If he can weaken and destroy the family, he will have succeeded.”
As President Packer reminds us, drawing upon David O. McKay’s famous quote – “You will do no greater eternal work than within the walls of your own home.”
As uncomfortable as the subject of pornography can be to talk about, it’s the only way to protect and empower our children in today’s world. And, it’s never TOO EARLY to start talking about it! According to recent research, the average age a child will be first exposed to pornography is age 7 (it can be much younger). The average age to seek it out and become addicted is age 12 (again, it can be much younger).
Here are some new resources every home should have!
1. BOOK – GOOD PICTURES, BAD PICTURES
Every parent, grandparent, teacher and caregiver is responsible to empower our children – teaching them how to recognize pornography and protect themselves. But, knowing the right things to say and how to appropriately teach them about this subject can feel like a daunting task. Now, there’s a wonderful children’s book written and illustrated by experts to help us, called “Good Pictures, Bad Pictures”!
If you have any children in your life – whether your own, or others you care for or teach, I would encourage you to get a copy of this beautifully illustrated read-aloud book. This book not only teaches children how to recognize pornography, but also gives them the lifelong tools they need for how to react and reject it. This is an empowering tool for both children and adults! I wish this book had existed many, many years ago.
2. YOUTUBE KIDS APP
This is the first Google product built from the ground up with children in mind. The YouTube announcement says, “For years, families have come to YouTube, watching countless hours of videos on all kinds of topics. Now, parents can rest a little easier knowing that videos in the YouTube Kids app are narrowed down to content appropriate for kids.”
Videos are divided into four categories; Shows (Sesame Street, The FuZees, etc.), Music, Learning, and Explore.
YouTube tested this app with children & parents inside Google as well as the children’s advocacy groups like the Family Online Safety Institute and The Internet Keep Safe Coalition.
In his full address, President Packer included a beautiful scripture from the Book of Mormon that provides wisdom and guidance in discerning between good and evil. This is the perfect measuring stick, if you will, to use as we judge what we will and will not allow into our homes, our lives and our minds.
“For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.” – Moroni 7:16
The children of this generation are filled with more information and are smarter and savvier than any generation in the past. But, they are also more at risk than ever before without proper education and protection.
It isn’t simple or easy to raise a family in the new millennium! It’s hard work, definitely scary at times, and it often completely overwhelming. But God is on our side, and if we remain prayerful and vigilant, we can make our homes a safe haven from the outside world, and a little piece of heaven on earth. – MoSop
Check Out & Bookmark These Helpful Resources:
- Home & Family Resource Page – lds.org
- Good Pictures, Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids – Book by Kristen A. Jensen, MA & Gail Poyner, PhD
- The YouTube Kids App – A Safe Way To Watch YouTube
- Combating & Overcoming Pornography – A New Website
- Family Home Evening – Info/Ideas – lds.org
- The Internet KeepSafe Coalition – ikeepsafe.org
- The Family Online Safety Institute – fosi.org
Latter-day Soprano 
Thank you for your diligence in bringing to light such matters of great worth. And there is nothing of greater worth than the eternal welfare of our families, of our children.
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