Sheltering our Children

You know, now a days when we hear people say that they shelter their children it is not intended to be a compliment. Why is that? Why is sheltering such a bad thing to do? So I was asking myself what exactly does it mean to shelter my kids? Do I shelter my kids? Is this a good thing? Is it Biblical? So I decided to do a bit a research on this matter. And no this is not some huge year long research, this is my very own ask a few questions and read some articles and some chapters in some parenting books.

So the first question was what is sheltering? I decided to go to the dictionary for a description of sheltering. The dictionary says.....

1. a dwelling place or home considered as a refuge from the elements:
Everyone's basic needs are food, clothing, and shelter.
2. to protect, as by shelter; take under one's protection, to protect from harm
3. protection from blame, incrimination, etc
Synonyms: retreat, asylum, sanctuary, shield, haven, harbor,
house, guard, safeguard, defend.

So now to my second question. Do I shelter my kids? I had to look at my everyday action towards my children and ask myself if I provide for their basic need of housing, clothing, food etc. Yes. I provide a dwelling place for my children that protects them from the elements. Their basic needs are met. Do I protect them from the things that I would think most parent would try to protect them from. Evil doers, excessive colds, making bad choices, how to hold a knife etc. You know the basic things in life to protect them. I do protect them from harm by teaching them and directing their path towards things I feel that may be better choices.

We ALL do it. We defend our children if needed, we protect them from other people, knives, too much TV etc, we watch over them to make sure they are making good choices and not eating candy for breakfast, lunch and dinner, we shield them from harms way when we are walking through the parking lot and a car come barreling down we will shove their little bodies behind ours and take the hit if needed. So why all this fuss about "SHELTERING" your kids is not the right thing to do?

Well somewhere, some sort of modern psychology came up with the idea that Parents should not try to shelter their children from normal childhood disappointments. But that sounds crazy to me. If I think about it if I am not sheltering my kids then I must be exposing them to the bitter cold. We are no longer defending them from dangers of life but allowing their little minds to make the choices that they know nothing about because we have endangered them physically and mentally to the disappointments of life!

So my next question was is sheltering a good thing. Well, if we look at the words described above and the meanings then yes! We need to shelter our children. Do we wrap them in a bubble and roll them around? NO! But there is nothing wrong with sheltering my 4 year old from profanity on TV. Or my 7 year old from sexual content. Or sheltering both my kids from the ignorance and life long hurt that can be caused by some child who decides today is the day they will pick a new child to be their punching bag.

My last question was is it Biblical to shelter? YES! Come on. Read your Bible people. Who is always there to protect us? He Protects us! He watches over our every move! He shields us from harms way. HE shelters us! Yes, God shelters us and we are told to protect and keep our children. I am proud to say I shelter my kids. I want my kids to grow up in a home that protected and loved them.

Oh I know what some of you may say. Oh, you kids will hate you for this and will go so far the opposite way when they grow up. Well, can't be any worst then allowing a 5 year old to play in the front yard by themselves and they get abducted or it can not be worst then the kid at age 13 comes home with the news that they are pregnant, or the kids who ends up in the hospital with Bulimia because the kids at school were so cruel that she end up throwing up 8 times a day just so the teasing will stop. All because we did not want to shelter the kid from the upsets of life????? These parents would probably ask themselves Was it really worth it to stop sheltering? There is no reason for me not to shelter them the best I can from the enemies out there that will take their innocent young minds from them. I want to keep them young. There is no reason for a 7 year old to act like a 12 year old and to have the same privileges just because I do not want to shelter. If my goal in life is to be more like God then…Shelter them like He shelters me! You bet I will!