Children

As parents our job is to protect our children.  There is no room for error.  I guess it may be my job but I don't trust anybody with my children with very few execptions.  The reason is that I have seen too many children be abused and neglected by parents' "friends".  According to stats your child is far more likely to be abused by one of your "friends" then by you.  Scary when you think about it.  Do we really know who we are allowing to interact with our children?  I am not a big advocate for leaving your child with somebody just because they go to church with you.  I have seen way too many that I have gone to church with now serving time for abuse to buy the fact that just because you are at church every Sunday you are a good person.  I find sometimes it is the opposite.  My friends who are the most caring and generous are those who rarely (if ever) go to church. 

Also children have a sense about people.  If your children tell you that they don't to be around somebody regardless if it is family or a friend you better listen.  Children are not going to tell their story to somebody who isn't willing to listen. 

Make sure that your children always have an adult they can trust to tell if they are being abuse.  Make sure they understand that nobody has the right to touch them if the don't want to be touched.  

I struggle to understand why parents do what they do.  Many use the excuse "that is just how I was raised.".  But that is all it is an excuse.  Just because you were raised a certain way does not mean that you must raise your children that way.