A few years ago I was watching Sesame Street with my then 2 year old. We were watching one particular episode of "Elmo's World" where they were talking about family. They began to show pictures of what a family looked like. To my dismay, I saw a picture of two men and a little girl eating an ice cream. And Elmo stated, "this is a family." I was shocked, angry, and amazed. I began to immediately think of what I could do to show Sesame Street that they were teaching the wrong message.
I hate to admit what I did from that point. I got online and begin calling organizations that I knew would get just as upset as I was and hopefully something would be done to pull this show off the air. Understand, Sesame Street has been on television for 40 years and has over 4,200 episodes that it has aired. But again, I thought we must take them down. I decided that my family would boycott Sesame Street. So for the next year we did not watch this "educational broadcast from the pits of hell." (Please read my sarcasm)
Well as time went on, I one day allowed my daughter to again watch Sesame Street, because just like with any good boycott, you should boycott until it is inconvenient for you right? As we were watching this program I began to think of what was my personal responsibility with my child. My number one priority is to teach my children the ways of the Lord, and not to just shield them from the evil. Please understand I am not at all saying that I should subject my girls to blatant sin and violence but I must teach them the things of God. So I began to teach my oldest daughter what a family consist of according to the Scriptures since that day.
Fast forward to today. I was getting dressed to go to the office and my two daughters were watching Sesame Street. When I heard Elmo's World come on and it happened to be the "Family Episode." The conversation that I heard from my 4 year old was an awesome thing.
She looked at her little sister and said, "Now Anna Kate, this show tells us that a boy and another boy can get married, or a girl and another girl can get married, but God teaches us that only a boy and a girl should get married."
It was one of the proudest moments I have had as a Dad! I saw that if we continue to teach our children the truths of God and the truths of the Scriptures, they will grow in that truth and they will share it with their children and their grandchildren. Seems like I have read that before somewhere...oh yeah Deuteronomy 6!
What kind of Teaching Moments have you had with your children? Let us hear about it!
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