Raising godly kids in a culture that's telling them something completely different

May 71 min read

My 11 year old came home asking why his friends get to watch whatever they want on TikTok and he doesn't. Explained that we're trying to protect his mind and help him see that not everything online aligns with our values. He rolled his eyes at me. I get it, he feels left out. But I'm not going to compromise what we're trying to build in our house just because the culture says I'm being too strict. It's hard though. Part of me wonders if I'm being too rigid. My wife and I pray about this stuff a lot. Anyone else dealing with the balance between protecting your kids and letting them learn?

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Comments(6)

DDerek P.RegularMay 8

This is exactly what we're dealing with at our house. My 9 year old wanted TikTok and when we said no, he said all his friends have it. We ended up having a real conversation about why we make different choices than other families and it actually went well. Maybe frame it as your family's values rather than just restrictions?

DDerekNew DadMay 8

This is the tough one. We just had the same talk with our oldest. I told him the rules in our house are ours, not based on what his friends do. Some parents let their kids do certain things, we don't. It's not punishment, it's just how we operate. He's starting to get it.

PPedroRegularMay 7

The culture vs faith thing is real. I try to focus on teaching my kids to think critically about what they consume rather than just saying 'no' all the time. Seems to work better than just blanket bans.

KKevin M.RegularMay 8

Tough age for this conversation. We're not at the TikTok stage yet with our daughter but I know it's coming. What boundaries did you end up setting?

AAlexRegularMay 8

Yeah this gets harder as they get older. My approach is to explain the why behind the rule rather than just shut it down. When they understand your reasoning, even if they don't like it, they respect it more.

MMarkRegularMay 8

My 9 year old asked something similar last week. I explained that we make choices based on our values, not based on what everyone else is doing. Hard conversations but necessary ones. Sounds like your kid is thinking critically at least, which is half the battle.