Awareness of Kids’ Influence

We need to remain aware of what we allow our kids to be taught. 

Spinning off of knowing our morals, values, and ethics… You’re a dad and dad is supposed to be a role model, an example, and a leader.

Leaders teach those under them. They raise them up. They show them the way to go.

You are a huge influence in your kids’ life. At least…. you better be a huge influence in your kids’ life. We need to stay on top of what influences our kids. Because be very aware EVERYTHING influences a kid. EVERYTHING. Their friends, what they see and hear in the neighborhood, the television, radio, internet, movies, books, cartoons, their teachers, and you.

Because of that, we need to be good dads and while we can’t be as tyrannical as the kids get older, hopefully you already laid a strong foundation when they were young. We need to be the weird dad that actually cares what his kid is exposed to. I’m pretty intense with what my kids can see.

They can’t see TV shows mom or I have not screened. They can’t see TV shows we don’t like. They can’t watch YouTube unsupervised. They can’t watch whatever they want on YouTube. They can’t surf the internet. They can’t play with friends I don’t like. They can’t watch adult shows with mom and dad.

We have: “beach week” with their older cousins in one house for seven days. They can’t hang out alone with older cousins when they are alone or using tablets. I don’t know what those kids have seen or what grown-up things they will show my kids because they think it is cool or funny. So no. My kids know ahead of time and are reminded frequently you are not allowed to look at your cousins’ tablets. You cannot play computer games or watch tv or movies with them unless mom or dad are in the room and told you it’s ok. Some parents tell us that’s great parenting others call us crazy.

I’d rather you think I’m crazy than have my five-year-old old exposed to porn, gore, or cursing. Because that’s a big deal to me and my wife. Those are in line with our values.

Now my kids are eight, five, and two. They are younger. While I don’t want them exposed or influenced ever obviously as they get older and we begin to teach them independence and freedom (two things older kids NEED and must have), and as they earn trust we won’t be able to monitor them as much as we can now. But hopefully, we have pounded into their head our values so often and so firmly without flip-flopping that when situations arise they will have the awareness and backbone to walk away from bad influences.

I can’t keep my boys from seeing porn forever. I just can’t. But I can instil very clear, very firm moral values and teach my boys to be strong and walk away from situations that are bad or inappropriate. That’s really the best we can do as parents. Raise them right, so as we introduce independence and freedom, they make good decisions.

Dads we have to create a foundation, a strong one. We have to stay on top of what our kids are exposed to. What their influences are. If you’re not actively involved, don’t be surprised when your kid’s foundational values do not reflect your own.

My job as dad, in my opinion, is to create the framework of our family. That takes a lot of effort when they’re younger. Mom obviously plays a huge role too, but right now our subject matter is dads. Then as they get older and earn trust – EARN TRUST – we grant and even encourage or force independence in them too. Free thinking is always encouraged. I don’t want little Russell military robots. I want well raised, Christian, independent, free-thinking, honest, courageous, morally strong young men to be the result. So my actions as a dad need to reflect that goal and I’m proud to say, they do.

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We’re preaching over here for Dads to step up, be real men, and real leaders of their homes.