IBA #585, 227, & 578

# 585 - How soon should we begin teaching our children about God?

In the grand scheme of “we”…I do not have a say when “you” tell your kids about anything.  “I” will not be telling my future child until they ask and at that point, they can make up their own minds as to how they want to proceed.  Of course, if it is a very young child that is not up to making a decision they can take their time and keep asking!

# 227 - If your teenage daughter came to you and told you she was pregnant, how would you react?

This, to me, implies poor parenting before this point.  Yes, kids will figure out a way to do whatever it is they want to do…but not knowing your kid is “doing” this implies you are not paying enough attention!  Nevertheless, other than poor parenting of the now past…if your (or my theoretical) teenager is now expecting, it is time to weigh the “options”.  I will start by saying, while I do not agree with the nut jobs that tout to be prolife and every baby “needs” to be born, I am also completely against abortions for those that having a baby is simply “inconvenient”!  If you can’t take care of a child, like in this case, the Mother is still in school herself, move on to the next option…adoption. 

There are many different ways to go about this (forgive my non-technical terms; I do not know what they actually refer to them as).  An “open” adoption is one where you still have contact with the baby, I have known a young woman that went through this option and exchanges gifts with the adoptive parents and even “baby-sits” for them when they are in town visiting (they live about 4 hours away from her).  There are at least two more adoption “options” as well.  The Mother can have a “say” in who her baby goes to or she can leave it up to someone else entirely.

A third (or sixth if you count each adoption option separately) option would be to “let” her raise her child.  If she thought she was mature enough to produce one, she should be prepared to take care of her child as “you” did yours.  Of course, this option is multi-faceted as well, but for the context of this theoretical exercise, let’s just assume your (or my) daughter is going to continue where she lives now and you (or I) are going to provide for the both of them until she has finished high school (possibly college) and can sustain life for both her and the baby.

Before I would make any decisions (assuming “teenage” implies “minor” as well), I would do a good bit of screaming though…at this point in my life, name calling would also be added for good measure.

# 578 - Online dating. Have you done it? How do you feel about it?

Why, yes, I have!  This is one of those things that can be “scary” and first time meetings should only be done in well-lit, public places.  That being said…I met my other half online, we chatted for many months, and when we did finally meet, I went to his house to play cards.  Yes, I realize what I just told “you” to do one sentence ago…this is a “Do as I say, not as I do” kind of moments!  Just use your better judgment…for the most part it is the same as being set up on a blind date, but you don’t have any friends or acquaintances that know the person you are going to meet (usually).