Whaaaat!! Yes, you read it right. There are certain times that I think we can do more harm to our children, and to others for that matter, by protecting them. Maybe I should use the word "sheltering" instead of "protecting".
There have been several instances recently where I have seen parents sheltering their children from the "evil world we live in" and I think it is to the detriment of these kids and to those in the world. Many, no I guess all of these instances stem from home school parents and their overzealous attempts to shelter their children from influences that can harm their children. I know there are several positives to home schooling and I agree with many of them, but in my opinion these positives are outweighed by the negatives. I'm sure hours could be spent arguing the negatives and positives, but I just want to focus in this post on one of the biggest negatives that has come to my attention recently. This negative is an overriding attitude by some home school moms especially that seems to point to an unwillingness to associate with "sinners" of this world. This attitude can be very dangerous in my opinion. Sounds an awful lot like the Pharisees in Jesus' time.
Such things like not wanting certain kids to come to the youth group because of the way they look and being afraid of their worldly influence. Aren't those some of the kids our youth should be trying to reach in order to share Christ? This has even affected our own church where these home school moms have made themselves into almost a club that looks down on others if they aren't home schooling their children like they are. And we wonder why our young adult Sunday School department hasn't grown. Not that this is the only problem or the only blame, but an obvious division has developed in our church. Many feel they are having a hard time feeling accepted if they aren't part of this exclusive home schooling club. It has even come to the point of an attitude of some of the home school mom's not wanting their kids to associate or play with public school kids out of a fear that they will somehow influence their kids in a negative way. Shouldn't the opposite be the case? Shouldn't our kids be light and salt to the world? I know our son has already taken several opportunities to share Jesus with kids at his public school and is a positive influence for the other kids in how to behave etc.
This negative attitude also comes across in how people respond to people in public. My wife is a great example of someone who shows friendliness and love to the public in her day to day activities. I think she is being a great example of Matthew 5:16. We have witnessed several instances where some of the home school moms we know respond to others in public with almost an attitude of discust.
I almost didn't post this worrying that I might offend, but you know maybe if you feel offended then it might be a good thing to at least be more aware or take a serious look at your own attitude. Also, I figured this is not very likely given the fact that hardly anybody reads this blog anymore. : )
