The RenewaNation Review 2020 The Collingsworth Family Special Edition | Page 40

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A
RE YOU OVERLOOKING a critical component of
parenting? While many parents spend enormous
amounts of time preparing their kids for work and school,
a five-year study by Ivy League researchers determined that
they do almost nothing to prepare them for mature relation-
ships or healthy marriages. 1
Researchers concluded that:
• Preparation for sex is not enough.
• Children want more guidance about relationships than
most parents provide.
• Children enjoy talking about the meaning and purpose
of love.
40
l
h Mulvihil
By Dr. Jos
• Parents should focus on bigger issues: mature love and
lasting relationships.
If there is one takeaway for Christian parents, it is this: we
need to focus on God’s design for marriage and successful
preparation for it.
Unfortunately, a previous generation of experts encour-
aged parents to focus on puberty and purity, unintentionally
reducing marriage preparation to a “say no to sex” campaign
while talking about anatomy and reproductive systems. Do
parents need to talk with children about puberty and puri-
ty? Absolutely. But this should not be the extent of a child’s
marriage preparation.