Parents, Don't Forget to Teach

By: Landon Ditto

So Miley was in town last night at the Fed Ex Forum. (those who aren’t aware of who Miley Cyrus is probably haven’t discovered email technology yet anyway so I’ll assume we’re on the same page) Sell out crowd, as usual. Screaming fans varying in age from kindergarten to 17, check. Take one look at concert footage on facebook today and there is no doubt that she is a cultural phenomenon. Now before I go on any further I’ll state that I’m in no way condemning those who attended this ear-piercing high-pitched squeal fest at the Forum last night or questioning your judgment. I simply want to point out a principle that we as parents ‘can’t forget to teach’.

A product of Disney, Miley has clean lyrics and generally exudes a girly, cutesy, fun vibe that most view as harmless and admirable. And for the most part, it pretty much is. But as the sadly predictable trend of the entertainment industry ‘growing up’ young women is proving true, there is possibly a valuable teaching moment at hand. For example, there was some controversy back in August over a performance that involved Miley dancing on what appeared to be a pole (hint: it wasn’t an American flag pole outside a little country schoolhouse) protruding from an ice cream cart. The principle we must be aware of as parents is this; Are we consistently taking every opportunity possible to teach and point our children to God’s standards of holiness as found in His Word?

This isn’t a ‘pick on Miley and pop culture’ or ‘let’s lock our kids in the Christian bunker’ or ‘we don’t have cable or internet so our family is in a higher bracket of holiness’ mentality. This is a mentality that calls us to sift through the good and bad of our culture and our kids’ world while accurately communicating to them what living a life that honors the Lord looks like. Maybe a teaching opportunity for you looks like this; ‘Wow that was a fun concert wasn’t it? But what were some of those outfits of hers about? Hot pants? Really?? Have you heard about this pole controversy thing? What do you think? Can you see how maybe the pressures of the world are causing her to bend on some areas we’re not called to bend on?’ It’s easy to give Miley a free pass because her lyrics aren’t ‘drugs, sex, and rock-n-roll’ but what about the simple fact that the hip thrusts and hot pants ARE communicating something to your daughters??

One of my biggest fears for this generation is that they grow up completely desensitized to the seriousness of the very sin that Christ descended to take the punishment for. So in short, it’s your call as a parent as to which concerts you hit, but don’t let even the smallest opportunities pass you by that the Holy Spirit could use to call your child’s attention to the truth of Scripture.

Parents, don’t forget to teach…