Comments on: Can You Shelter a Child TOO Much? http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/ Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:36:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Tina http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-84955 Tina Mon, 03 Mar 2008 00:07:51 +0000 http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-84955 I agree that you should protect your children but too much "shelter" from things YOU believe to be bad. I don't believe in imposing my belief's on anyone. I guide my children and try to show them cause and effect. I give them unconditional love. They know that every decision they make has to be for the good of themselves and others or their will be consequences/regret. If you shelter a child from the realities of life, then you truly are doing them no justice. Our world is full of bad things and no matter how good we are to our children or how long we try to shelter them from these bad things, at some point they will be exposed to some of it. It is best to expose them to things that they will likely encounter and allow for discussions to be had as a family unit to know first hand how this may affect your child(ren). If a child isn't home schooled then they are very likely to be exposed to the things you disapprove of at school from their peers. I personally would rather have that exposure happen in my presence than the presence of a naive child that was most likely not correctly taught the information they are relaying to their friends. The most important thing to do in "sheltering" your child is to teach right and wrong and good and bad and reality and fantasy. "Sheltering" your children from a scary movie is not going to guarantee they won't seek it out when they stay the night at a friends. I think the main thing sheltering a child TOO MUCH does is causes a rebel to be made. I know this first hand because I see it as a parent with parents that limit their children to certain things in their home. I think OVER sheltering does exist and I think it actually causes a bad result with many children and that result is DISHONESTY. If the child just-so-happens to like something that their parent does not like, they will likely lie and sneak around behind their parents back to partake in their like for whatever it may be. I am watching this first hand with a friend of my son. I agree that you should protect your children but too much “shelter” from things YOU believe to be bad. I don’t believe in imposing my belief’s on anyone. I guide my children and try to show them cause and effect. I give them unconditional love. They know that every decision they make has to be for the good of themselves and others or their will be consequences/regret.
If you shelter a child from the realities of life, then you truly are doing them no justice. Our world is full of bad things and no matter how good we are to our children or how long we try to shelter them from these bad things, at some point they will be exposed to some of it. It is best to expose them to things that they will likely encounter and allow for discussions to be had as a family unit to know first hand how this may affect your child(ren).
If a child isn’t home schooled then they are very likely to be exposed to the things you disapprove of at school from their peers. I personally would rather have that exposure happen in my presence than the presence of a naive child that was most likely not correctly taught the information they are relaying to their friends.
The most important thing to do in “sheltering” your child is to teach right and wrong and good and bad and reality and fantasy. “Sheltering” your children from a scary movie is not going to guarantee they won’t seek it out when they stay the night at a friends. I think the main thing sheltering a child TOO MUCH does is causes a rebel to be made. I know this first hand because I see it as a parent with parents that limit their children to certain things in their home. I think OVER sheltering does exist and I think it actually causes a bad result with many children and that result is DISHONESTY. If the child just-so-happens to like something that their parent does not like, they will likely lie and sneak around behind their parents back to partake in their like for whatever it may be.
I am watching this first hand with a friend of my son.

]]> By: Jeremy Pierce http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-8364 Jeremy Pierce Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:25:27 +0000 http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-8364 There are certainly people who are unwilling to call something bad bad and are willing to allow their children to be influenced by things that are bad for them. But I'm not sure everyone who speaks the way you're criticizing is doing that. Many of them might just mean that there are things our children need to be aware of and need to be able to address for what it is. There was a married couple in Germany a few years ago who couldn't figure out why they weren't having any children. Their doctor took quite a while to figure out that they didn't know what sex was. Even if it would be inappropriate to teach kids about sex at certain ages, and certain ways of doing it would be bad, hardly anyone thinks it's bad to teach them about it eventually. Similarly, even those who do not believe the currently accepted scientific picture of the descent of human beings from animals ought to let their kids know that it's the currently accepted picture of human origins and ought to help them to understand what the view says and why so many people think it's true. Otherwise they will be unable to address it when it comes up. Certain ages, of course, will not be ready for this. But Christians have to be prepared to engage the world, and that requires eventually understanding at least certain things about it. I think that's really all some people mean by not sheltering kids. There are certainly people who are unwilling to call something bad bad and are willing to allow their children to be influenced by things that are bad for them. But I’m not sure everyone who speaks the way you’re criticizing is doing that. Many of them might just mean that there are things our children need to be aware of and need to be able to address for what it is. There was a married couple in Germany a few years ago who couldn’t figure out why they weren’t having any children. Their doctor took quite a while to figure out that they didn’t know what sex was. Even if it would be inappropriate to teach kids about sex at certain ages, and certain ways of doing it would be bad, hardly anyone thinks it’s bad to teach them about it eventually. Similarly, even those who do not believe the currently accepted scientific picture of the descent of human beings from animals ought to let their kids know that it’s the currently accepted picture of human origins and ought to help them to understand what the view says and why so many people think it’s true. Otherwise they will be unable to address it when it comes up. Certain ages, of course, will not be ready for this. But Christians have to be prepared to engage the world, and that requires eventually understanding at least certain things about it. I think that’s really all some people mean by not sheltering kids.

]]> By: The Buzz Blog http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-8360 The Buzz Blog Wed, 13 Dec 2006 18:19:48 +0000 http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-8360 <strong>Christian Carnival CLII...</strong> Welcome to this week’s edition of the Christian Carnival. The Christian Carnival features some of the best work from the past week from Christians throughout the blogosphere. For more information about the Christian Carnival visit Wittenberg Ga... Christian Carnival CLII…

Welcome to this week’s edition of the Christian Carnival. The Christian Carnival features some of the best work from the past week from Christians throughout the blogosphere. For more information about the Christian Carnival visit Wittenberg Ga…

]]> By: Charlotte http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-7519 Charlotte Thu, 30 Nov 2006 22:12:10 +0000 http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-7519 Thanks for that post - very encouraging for our family! Thanks for that post - very encouraging for our family!

]]> By: Candy http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-7514 Candy Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:42:35 +0000 http://www.triviumpursuit.com/blog/2006/11/29/can-you-shelter-a-child-too-much/#comment-7514 Amen! We homeschool, don't use baby sitters, and our children sit with us at church. I have a saying: "Don't cut the apron strings, tie more!" :) Amen! We homeschool, don’t use baby sitters, and our children sit with us at church. I have a saying:

“Don’t cut the apron strings, tie more!” :)

]]>