Ultimately, the Birds & Bees curriculum gives parents clarity and confidence about a very confusing part of our culture, helping them raise their kids to steward their sexuality in a way honoring to the Lord. For more information about Birds & Bees or to enroll in their course, visit birds-bees.com. They also have a terrific podcast full of practical and helpful advice.
I think it was in 2009 when, at an airport for an early morning flight, a wise Christian leader said to me bluntly, “John, the question is not if your daughters will see pornography. The question is what will they do when they see pornography?”
I was stunned, but he was right. His words are even more true today, fifteen years later, than when he said them. Technology makes it way easier than ever before for predatory pornography to find our kids. Even if they are not looking for it, it is looking for them. According to a 2020 survey, a majority of U.S. children are exposed to online pornography by age 13. Many are exposed as young as seven. According to the same report, 84% of male youths ages 14 to 18 and 54% of young women the same age have encountered porn. Last year, Common Sense Media reported that a whopping 71% of teens surveyed had accessed porn within the previous week of being interviewed.
If we aren’t teaching our kids how to think about sexuality and marriage, about their own bodies and how to respect others, someone—or something—else is. Parents must begin to teach even young children about who they are and how to deal with sexuality in a culture that is deeply broken. And they can start today.