Moms vs. The World

Today my sister in law posed a question on FB asking if anyone else out there was sick and tired of "good" TV shows that turn into morally corrupt shows.  She mentioned a part in a show where two boys kiss.  Then, my niece added something like, "two boys kissing shouldn't ruin a whole show."  I, of course, couldn't help but to chime in on this subject.  

See, the thing is, this niece has NO children to worry about, to protect, to teach or to love so on that level she has a completely different thought process than I do.  That said, I worry that she will one day "wake up" and be holding a baby of her own and will have slipped down that path of "tolerance" so far that she will no longer have the deep roots to stand against the storms or the world.   

Tolerance has become one of my least favorite words.  Why?  Because it only seems to go ONE WAY!  Or for some, it means "let's have a free for all" kind of society.  Live and let live kind of thing.  Every society that has EVER tried this has failed, miserably!  Can you say, Sodom and Gomorrah? The Romans?  But the really scary part is when that society has fallen, someone (usually an evil someone) comes in and enslaves the people under the pretense of "saving" them.  Can you say Hitler?  Stalin?  And if we're not careful, the USA.

For the last 5 or so years, I've felt an urgency to protect my kids, NOT shelter them, just protect them and give them the tools they will need to not only survive, but thrive in this crazy world.  

Another mom friend described herself like Xena, the warrior.  To give a mental picture of this, imagine my Xena the warrior, with her sword drawn in one hand and a shield in the other, with wild red hair (at least I have that part of the image) and her kids standing behind her.  This image has started to change the older my kids get.  Now, they are slowly stepping out from behind me and starting to join the "battle".  If I didn't know better, I would be terrified, but I am a "Mother who knows".   This is a reference to a talk by Julie B Beck that said:

Mothers who know:

•  Desire to bare children (Genesis 17:16)
•   Honor sacred ordinances and covenants (taking the sacrament and remembering the     Atonement)
•   Are nurturers (make a house a home)
•   Are leaders (lead by example)
•   Are always teachers (teach prayer, fasting, service, forgiveness, kindness, etc)
•   Do less (of the things that pull them away from family)
•   Stand strong and Immovable (protect and defend our children)

I wish I could say that I've followed these principle perfectly, but I haven't!  I can say, that when it came down to the really important stuff, I did my best and that's all I can do.

A couple of years ago, I taught a class to a bunch of kids about the media.  I covered music, TV, movies, pornography, and even regular magazines that you find in the stores.  I started off with a nice big bowl of popcorn and while I spoke, I ate.  I didn't share, I just ate.  Rude, I know! 

Then I asked if anyone wanted some and of course tons of them said yes.  So, I spit what I had in my mouth all over the other popcorn and then passed the bowl around.  As you might have guessed, they changed their minds.  I told them it was just a little bit of grossness in the bowl and that they could pick around it.  They still didn't want any part of it.

Then I explained that that's how the media works.  Just a "little bit of crude humor" or a "little bit of deviant lifestyle" won't hurt.  But then what happens is you become desensitized to it ALL.  Pretty soon you aren't phased at all when you see a violent act or graphic sex scene.  It turns what should be a sacred loving thing into nothing better than what animals do.

That's how satan works!  Little by little, he gets his foot in the door...if we let him.   Now that said, we should love everyone.  It's not up to us to be the judge, thank goodness!  But it is up to us to teach our kids right from wrong according to what Heavenly Father has said.