One of our recurring topics on the podcast is ‘my child has seen pornography’ or ‘my child is looking at pornography—what do I do now?’ Today—per the request of one of our listeners—we’re tackling this topic from a faith-based perspective.
In the past we have recommended some great resources, like the S.M.A.R.T. Guide for Parents (from Protect Young Minds) to help us know what to do when our kids have seen porn. However, we recently received a request from a mom who also wanted to add some faith-based resources to her toolbox. We recognize how important it is for families to incorporate all their values into this conversation, and invite all our listeners to give us a heads up, like this mother did, so that we can tackle parenting and pornography from whatever perspective YOU need!
In this episode we’re chatting with John Fort, who is a father, a specialist in addiction recovery, and also a man of faith.
John Fort, MST, is the Director of Training for Be Broken Ministries where he equips community leaders to assist families moving from sexual brokenness to wholeness. He oversees online training for Be Broken on Pure Life Academy and live training at the Sexual Integrity Leadership Summit, where he is a Co-Founder and Executive Team Member. John is a regular blogger on CovenantEyes.com and ProtectYoungMinds.org and is the author of the books; Honest Talk: A New Perspective on Talking to Your Kids About Sex, Father-Son Accountability: Integrity Through Relationship, and the Forbidden Scrolls fictional trilogy. John and his wife, Anna, live in Oregon and have two adult children.
Be Broken Ministries is a national non-profit ministry that serves anyone affected by sexual brokenness. The mission of Be Broken is to Encourage, Equip, and Expand the Christian Sexual Integrity Leadership Community. Be Broken serves people affected by pornography, or any other unwanted sexual struggle or stronghold.
Highlights from this episode:
-Build accountability with your children.
-Relationships come first–before anything else. Love first.
-We need to set consequences and boundaries that focus less on punishing and more on protecting our children.
-It’s important to recognize patterns of addiction in our children, as opposed to just accidental exposure or a bad habit.
-As we build strong relationships with our kids, we can help to meet their emotional needs, which goes a long way in the fight against pornography.
-Kids are naturally curious about sex. Don’t be alarmed. Make a goal to talk about sex in a healthy way. Be your kids’ first, best source of information. (Want some tips? Check out the 30 Days of Sex Talks books from Educate and Empower Kids!)
-If your child is struggling with pornography, talk about their feelings first. Then get around to the actions and describing what actually happened. Remember … relationships come first.
Challenge: Download a feelings chart (easy to find online–just search for “feelings chart”) and talk about your emotions at the dinner table with your family.
Additional links/resources:
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