Sexting and the dangers of Hidden Apps

Recently, I was blessed to be sent to a meeting with a local detective for a NoCo police department. Most of the things he was presenting didn’t seem to have much to do with my area of concern but then… someone brought up the question about kids and Apps. And the legal ramifications of sexting and child pornography….

Before going much further I want to make a point… Did you know that our number one “issue” in Northern Colorado that detectives are fighting right now is child porn and sexual exploitation? He also linked the two together noting that kids who are involved in sexting, thinking it’s no big deal and that nothing big will ever come of it, often times end up being thrown into a prostitution scandal against their will and unable to get out. Hard to hear, right? Well that’s the main thing we are dealing with in this area and most of us have no clue.

Those Apps are a BIG deal. You can read more about which Apps to watch out for on your kids’ devices and why they are such a pressing matter HERE. 

In my opinion, I don’t think parents are as worked up about this issue as they need to be. Maybe they think that “it will never happen to OUR kids” or “We raised them better..” but the truth of the matter is simply… YOUR KIDS HAVE THEIR OWN MINDS… AND THEY’RE NOT DEVELOPED YET. We’ve gone over this before a bit in THIS POST but it all breaks down to how your kid makes choices. Teens are made to make choices in the moment, to not worry about the future, to constantly live in a place of taking risks. This is good for their development… if they make it that far. You see, they tend to have mental blocks against the things that can REALLY damage them and instead worry about the social implications. This is where basic exploiting originates. They’re too worried about what could happen in their social sphere, they throw away their world in trying to protect or improve it. It is a parent’s job to see that they LIVE and thrive. We cannot afford to allow our kids to be put on autopilot, especially when it comes to their social influence.

Parents of tweens and teens, I am calling you out! If you are simply “stuck” and may not feel like this is something you can deal with on your own, please seek counsel! Know you are not alone and that it is worth it to fight this fight! Life Choices education department will be holding a *FREE* (How much better could it get??) Parent Talk on this very topic in April (Exact date and time TBA). Keep your eyes out for the info and BE THERE!

 

Make Good Choices!

~Becky~

PHILEO Love

As i was preparing for our weekly Marriage group’s homework, I came across something I think is important to share this week…

Do you study Love Languages? I’m sure you’ve heard by now of the wonderful book by Gary Chapman but what I’m talking about are the original meanings of LOVE in the Greek. God struck me this week as I stumbled upon a verse… Titus 2:4. It says… “Then they (the older women) can teach the younger women to LOVE their husbands….” That sounds all well and dandy but the word used for LOVE here was actually the word PHILEO… it means, in Greek, a friendship type of love. When we think of marriage, we tend to think of the EROS love (Passion and romance) or even AGAPE (unconditional, selfless). But that PHILEO doesn’t seem to come up as often. You see, God knew that it would be hard, among the daily duties of life, to purposefully befriend, over and over again, our spouse. This is something that sometimes needs to be taught. And sometimes, we forget that that part of a marriage is a God-given RIGHT and privilege. YOU deserve to like your spouse in a friendship type of way. That’s where true intimacy in marriage comes from! I want to challenge you to truly get to KNOW your spouse. Initiate conversations that help you to truly understand each other.

Start here: “What is one thing you have always wanted to do WITH me?”

Let the conversation take you on a new journey to discovering your spouse… as a friend. Do something together that you have never shared as a couple before! “LIKE” each other! This stuff matters…

Watch THIS for more on this subject. So good!

And as always… Make Good Choices!

~Becky