The thing about kids is—you never know what’s going to come out of their mouths.
“Momma?” My seven-year-old whispered from her top bunk where I’d just tucked her in.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Do you know what KY Jelly is?”
“Uh. . . yes.” Good thing I’d already turned off the lamp so she couldn’t see my eyes bugging out of my head. “Do you?”
“It’s a lotion, Mom.”
“Yep. Sort of. Where did you hear about it?”
“On Family Feud!”
Oh great.
“Okay, sweetie, but we don’t talk about KY Jelly in front of people. Like at school or anything.” Please, Lord, don’t let her strike up this conversation with her second grade teacher.
“Why not?”
“Because most people think of it as a lotion for, ah, ladies’ private parts. It’s not appropriate.” Thank you, Family Feud.
Just then, my four-year-old piped up from her bed. “Princesses wouldn’t talk about KY Jelly, right, Mom? Princesses don’t talk about things that aren’t appropriate.”
“Right, sweetie, yes, that’s right. So now we’re all going to stop talking about this, okay? Go to sleep! Good night!”
“Good night, Mom!”
My husband and I are super vigilant about what we allow our kids to watch on TV. We lock down their choices to certain pre-approved channels and programs, and we fast forward through commercials, for crying out loud. How was I supposed to know the family game show station could introduce my seven-year-old to intimate lubricants?
Sometimes I wish I could tape my children’s ears shut so they’d never hear a dirty or disrespectful word. Yet as they grow and go to school and begin experiencing new adventures, so must I learn to release them. At some point, we moms can no longer protect our kids from every indelicate exposure. However, we can teach them how to filter.
“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere” (James 3:17, NLT).
How can our kids recognize the difference between good vs. evil? Teach them the wisdom test.
Is it pure, gentle, and kind to others?
God says that’s okay!
Is it crude, selfish, or picking a fight?
Turn away and pray.
The wisdom test works for a variety of influences our kids will face including TV, music, friends, books, fashion, social media and so much more. And honestly? It works for grown-ups, too. If our kids need to filter it, so do we.
So let’s not fear the unpleasant teachable moments. Instead, we can lean into them, knowing that our job is not only to protect but also to equip our kids to make wise choices even when we’re not around.
“Mom, do you know what a Trojan is?”
“A what?!”
“A horse! It’s a really big horse, Mom!”
“Yes,” thank you, God, “it’s a horse, from ancient Greek mythology. And where did you hear that word, may I ask?”
“On Jeopardy!”
So about those teachable moments—heaven help me. Some of them can wait.
Blessings,
Becky
I let my kids watch family feud if it is the old one made back in the 70’s or 80’s but not the new ones. I also always check the guide to see what show is on next and pause so the commercials for those really inappropriate shows aren’t seen. I kind of want to boycott the channel altogether because some of the shows they have are the filthiest shows currently on any station! Love your blog! Visiting from the MOm2Mom hop.
Thanks for visiting, Crystal! I remember liking the show in the 80s… who knew it had gone so downhill!
Oh goodness! My husband watches it, but not our kids because it can get inappropriate that’s for sure! They should really change the name because it is not a family show anymore.
Agreed! “Family Filth” has a good ring to it. 😉
My husband and I struggle finding things for us to watch as well–with kids in the house, you never know when they are going to walk through the living room and hear (or see!) what is on the TV. There is nothing “clean” to watch anymore!
I think that’s why we’ve resigned our television to Nick, Jr. 😉
I just laughed out loud. Conversations like that can be heard around our house like that as well! This just gave me the laugh I needed 🙂
I just love your ideas on teaching our children wisdom. As I read, I kept thinking “OH YEAH!”
Thanks for sharing and thanks for linking up with Tuesday Talk!
-Sarah
http://www.sarahefrazer.com
Thanks for hosting the link-up, Sarah! Glad to know I’m not alone!
Love this! We have already had many of those types of conversations with our very curious three year little guy. Gotta love it. He has just started repeating what he hears on commercials, so we’re gonna have to watch out for that now! One family friendly show we’ve discovered recently is The Kids Baking Championship on the Food Network. My little guy loves watching the kids cooking!
-Liz
http://www.simplelifemessylife.com
Thanks for the tip, Liz! My daughter loves cooking shows. I’ll check out The Kids Baking Championship – thank you!
Visiting from the Things I Can’t Say link up… I have seen a few episodes of Family Feud lately and thought it got a little risque, too. I loved the way you handled it though!
It is so hard now to find content on TV suitable for children. I’ve almost resorted to DVD’s only for my toddler. I enjoy family feud but oh my gosh some of the questions…not appropriate for the demographic, that is just my opinion.
Family Feud has ridiculously not-family-appropriate content any more. I like your test, though!
Oh my!! My husband and I just had a conversation about this last night. We have younger children but even the most innocent shows sometimes contain adult content.
Love this post. Stopping by from last weeks Tuesday Talk to say thanks for linking up with us.
Such great advice. Sometimes it feels our kids are being bombarded from every direction. I always worry when the viagra commercials come on too. Scrambling to mute the TV. I can only imagine the questions that may bring up.