Do you really know your son or daughter?

Now, don't get me wrong. There's no way to know everything. But are we engaged enough to know what truth we can? When (if) our children look us in the eye, do they know love and truth will always be found there? Do we act out what we desire for them in our personal lives?

In today's culture, it doesn't matter if your child is attending a Christian school or a public school or something in between. Most kids are talking about sexual matters very, very openly. They're surrounded by a deeply sexualized culture, which too often fans their natural curiosity into a consuming desire to experience.

What's more disturbing is that kids who "know better" than to have sex before marriage are experimenting with all kinds of other sexual behavior. ALL kinds. Just let your imagination go for a minute. Oral sex and group sex are more and more common, and guilt-free for many children-and parents.

And more and more parents are tuning out during the teen years, letting their young people run their own lives because they seem so ready and responsible-so grown-up.

Don't fall into that temptation. Fact is, they're growing up too fast.

If our kids are in grades 1-12, they need our attention. They need us to talk to them. They need us to be available and constantly looking for ways to teach them how to have a pure heart and how to progressively grow in sexual purity - not just technical virginity.

Does your child know why oral sex and other acts that produce the same rush as intercourse without a "loss of virginity" are dangerous? Do they recognize the dishonoring of the body and person (and the family, and community) that also take place?

Teach your child how to use the Internet, and explain in detail what is appropriate or inappropriate. Exactly what kinds of pictures may your daughter post of herself? Exactly what kinds of texts or pictures are out of bounds for your young man? Our children desperately need boundaries set for their on-line interaction so they can function productively, honestly and honorably in both their online activities and in everyday life.

As a child grows, so does our temptation to "drop the reins" as they choose their own music, movies and entertainment. But now, more than ever, it's our parental duty to review and insist on what is truly important, truly good, and truly safe in our own homes.

Don't drop your guard. Yes, your child needs new freedom as he or she grows and earns it, but they still need your parenting, too. And they need to know what goes and doesn't go in your household. That's a key element in making purity work!

Purity is a topic often associated with teen abstinence, but Jennie Bishop makes it her business to spread a message that purity is for all ages.

"Purity affects us from the cradle to the grave," she says, "and it's about so much more than sex."

Bishop's best selling children's picture book, The Princess and the Kiss, has received wide acclaim from organizations such as Dennis Rainey's Family Life for its simple, straightforward message of saving a "kiss" for a future spouse. The companion book for boys, The Squire and the Scroll, approaches purity for boys from the angle of an adventurous quest, dragon included. Both medieval tales also have Life Lessons devotionals available that help parents and children go deeper, even offering purity ceremony ideas.

But children's books are just a part of what Jennie does. The overwhelming response to her books made her aware of the need for a practical, strategic approach to purity training for all ages. Her methodology, Planned PurityŽ, is now presented in PurityWorks conferences in the U.S. and around the world.

"Purity is a worldwide issue that crosses every boundary," says Bishop. "It touches every area of life. I believe that when the root issue of purity is addressed and individuals learn to value purity worldwide, nations will experience true freedom, greater health, growth and economic success."

Jennie speaks in many venues: pregnancy organizations, schools (public and private), churches (of all denominations) and community gatherings. Her poise and passion make Jennie a frequent guest on radio (Family Life Today, WBCL's Mid-morning Show, and more), and television (The Harvest Show, 100 Huntley Street, and others). As a member of the board for iCare, a division of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, Jennie lends her voice to the iCare vision, providing parents with strategies by which they can understand modern technology and communication devices to guard their children's purity.

Bishop's non-profit organization, PurityWorks, also mobilizes purity training efforts for children, families, teens and adults in Ukraine orphanages, with partners in Kiev, and in various outreach settings in African countries, including Nigeria and Namibia.

To stay in touch by reading Jennie Bishop's personal blog, click here.

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