Experts: Parents should take steps to protect children in today’s culture

Today’s children face unprecedented dangers, many of them with spiritual roots, yet many parents are asleep at the wheel.

“Anxiety, depression, panic disorders have gone up among kids I’ve seen in my practice and throughout, and I know right now many counselors have long waiting lists already and the school year has just started,” Dr. Danny Huerta of Focus on the Family says.

Numbers from the CDC found that suicide among teens is at record levels, exacerbated by pandemic lockdowns and the feeling of loss of control in their lives.

Huerta states many young people must face these unprecedented challenges without a key spiritual component.

Dr. Danny Huerta

“When you remove God, there’s confusion,” he said. “There’s chaos. And right now, it really saddens me to watch counselors and others push kids towards deciding psychologically their gender.”

Huerta went on to say that it is vital that parents stay informed about these issues and talk openly with their children. He warns that if they don’t, others with different values will.

“You want to step in listen to your kid,” he said. “What are they hearing? What are they seeing? What are their worldviews on it? And then stepping into that from a biblical truth starting with the beginning of male, female. What is the difference from male, female? How did we start with that in scripture? And then from there just having open conversations, dialogue.”

Families also should engage the power of God for their children, said Dr. Kathy Koch, founder and president of Celebrate Kids.

“We have compassion and if they’re not yet saved , they don’t have a love for God that will compel them to righteousness,” she said. That’s one of the things we gotta pray over our kids — greater love for God.”

Huerta encourages parents to take the role of protector seriously as their children navigate through all that is happening around them.

“There are lot of protections you can find,” he said. “Make sure you’re putting those on the computers and devices, have conversations about the limits and necessity to have limits on those including bedtime, the car, meal times and then modeling it as a parent.”

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice