© 19 Colin Melbourne
When children ask the most embarrassing question of all
Q: When should I tell my children about the “birds and the bees”?
A: What a marvellous question! Unfortunately, most parents never bother to tell their children the facts of life, they are left to pick up all sorts of peculiar ideas and myths in playgrounds, and schools.
It’s much better to gently share the information yourself, preparing them for the world’s propaganda.
When should you start? Wash them with the Truth from the cradle. (Dt. 4:9b, 6:7, 11:19, 32:46).
Truth Protects
Some people think children need to be “protected” from the truth in order to preserve their carefree “innocence”. Well, we understand what they mean, but they are misguided, and wrong on both counts. According to the Holy Bible, they have the situation back to front:
First; children do not need protecting from the truth: The Truth protects them from error, liberating and shielding from sin and harm.
God’s word is The Truth, which when; heard, believed, and honoured, provides complete and perfect protection. (Ps. 40:11, Pr. Chs. 3-4, Jn. 8:32, Eph. 6:4, 2 Tim. 2:18, Tit. 1:1).
Satan’s Babes
Secondly; children are not born with innocent hearts. That is mere sentimental mythology.
Babies are born sinners to the core, children of the Devil, bound for death and destruction because of the sinful nature they inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve. (Job. 5:7, Ez. 16:4-6, Jn. 8:44, Ro. 3:10-12, 3:23, 5:12,18, Eph. 2:1-3, 1 Jn. 3:10). Only One Baby was born a child of God, sinless, unique: The LORD Jesus Christ.
You were not born an innocent baby: There was only one life in you, the sinful nature you inherited from your parents. If you cannot see that basic Gospel fact, you need to go humbly to God and ask Him to show you.
God, in His mercy, doesn’t count infants’ sinfulness against them, He covers them with His grace until they reach the age of decision and responsibility, (around 4-8 years old) after which they are counted accountable and guilty, like each of us. (Is. 7:15-16).
Babes in arms certainly look adorable, exquisitely sweet, harmless, and innocent. That is because they are made physically in God’s image, but their fallen spiritual nature is soon revealed when they develop and make choices.
They all choose sin by default, just like us before we are born again. (Jn. 3:18).
How to ruin children: Leave them to themselves
Have you noticed how quickly the glow of parenthood dissolves; where “baby can do no wrong”, transforms into exasperation at a spoilt child that will not do right?
This is why God commands parents not to spoil their kids by letting them have their own way; rather we are to raise children in the nurture of the Lord, training them in love, with discipline, to do what is right in His sight.
Children must have loving discipline, and punishment, in fact they crave it, pushing the limits to find where they are. By sparing the rod of discipline, you will certainly spoil the child forever. (Pr. 13:24, 22:15, 23:13-14, 29:15).
We know that children will not naturally do what is right, because of their sinful nature, so why bother?
The answer is: Because godly parental teaching and training act like the Law; leading them to be aware when they sin, instructing their consciences, convicting of sin, and when old enough they will, of their own volition, receive the Lord as Saviour, and be born again. (Ro. 3:20, 5:20a, 7:13, 8:5-8, Eph. 6:1-4).
That’s the Bible plan of parenthood.
Fairy Tales and Lies: Or Truth?
His plan goes badly wrong when ungodly parents, embarrassed at telling children the facts of life, peddle housewives’ tales to ward off questions about where they came from.
Mothers and Fathers, please don’t ever lie to your kids, tell them the truth always. Remember, each of us is made for truth, not for deception and falsehood.
Please; no tooth fairies, no Santa Claus teasing, no bogey-men, or Rasta-man spooky stuff. Feed them the Bread of Heaven, they will grow strong, and you will keep their trust.
Please don’t multiply lies about finding babies in a cabbage-patch, or air-mail delivery by Storks from afar. Jabberwocky tales such as these don’t satisfy their curiosity; and they soon discover their own parents deliberately misled them.
Let the godless deceive their kids: Christians must uphold the Truth.
Mums and Dads, cover your progeny from the womb with the Word of God, and teach them about Him;
Start them off right, feed young hearts eternal Truth, instead of myths, fairy tales & fantasy. KJV text Matthew 5:3-11 with stimulating gentle imagery to introduce your babes to their Maker.
The Birds and the Bees
There’s no need to start with waffle about the birds and the bees: Give them the truth in God’s order.
Start at Genesis, and show them from the Bible how God created the first man, Adam, from a pile of earth, then He made the first woman, Eve, from Adam’s flesh and bone.
In obedience to God’s command to “Be fruitful and multiply”, the man and wife briefly physically joined together, planting the seed of the man into the woman, where it united with, and fertilised, her seed, forming a tiny baby that grew in her tummy. (Gen. Chs. 1-4).
The fertilised seed created a baby because of God’s original blessing. The LORD knitted the baby together inside her womb, and in due course, with labour pains, the child was born, out of her tummy, born of water, into the world.
Tell them, “Almighty God made you darling, He knitted you together in mummy’s tummy just like the Bible says: Job 31:15 KJV; Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb? See also Ps. 139:13, Is. 44:2,24, Jer. 1:5, Ecc. 11:5.
Bible truth will always satisfy your children, it is what they were made for. They will sleep peacefully contemplating His Word, instead of suffering torments, night terrors, and doubts about mum and dad’s integrity and honesty.
Nitty Gritty
When they reach the age at which they begin to ask more intimate questions like, How did Adam and Eve join together?, and How did God make me in your tummy Mummy?” Here’s what to do.
Parents, don’t hesitate to tell them the truth. They have asked you because they are curious just like you were at their age.
They trust and respect you because all you ever told them has proven to be true, hasn’t it? You’ve earned their trust and love.
The truth is not; “dirty”, sinful, or wrong, it’s; beautiful, pleasurable, and godly.
So answer them frankly, with the details they ask for, stressing that sexual intimacy is only for those whom God has joined together as husband and wife. And don’t forget about the pain of labour, and why it happens, show them the stretch-marks as proof of God’s Word.
You can see how these simple truths lay a foundation of rock upon which children can build, discerning error when the world tries to foist lies onto them.
When you bathe your toddlers, and tweenies, in the word like this, instead of “kidding” and deceiving them, they will understand how special, loved, and wanted they are.
They will know they were created at God’s bidding; His idea, in His Plan, designed, unique, and for His pleasure.
Not found in the rhubarb, or on the doorstep, but planned, with a purpose, by Almighty God, treasured by Him, and cared for by Him.
Such a child will grow up confident, with self-dignity, and a sense of destiny, knowing they are not an aimless, unplanned, accident of “nature”.
Society and state-schools indoctrinate kids with lies from Hell, telling them they evolved by chance from a slimy rock-pool, without a Creator, or purpose other than self-indulgence. Their peers then wonder why children grow into scowling delinquents whose only joy is rebellion, hedonism, and self-destruction.
Instead, feed your children the Bread of Heaven, walk with integrity before them showing the Living Christ in you, and when they are ready to repent and believe, they can choose to be born again: Born of God like you were.
They will grow secure in the knowledge of who they are, what their purpose is, pleasing God, and sharing the wonderful meaning of life: Real Life!
© 10 Colin Melbourne