Protecting Your Kids

Fathers have always been protectors. But protection today looks different than it did a generation ago. Yes, physical safety matters. But in a world of screens, social media, and constant access to harmful content, protection requires vigilance in new areas. Your kids need you to be aware, engaged, and willing to set boundaries that protect them even when they push back.

Protection isn't about fear. It's about wisdom, discernment, and love that says no when no is what's needed.

Types of Protection

Physical: Safety in the home, knowing where they are, awareness of their environment.

Digital: Screens, internet access, social media, online predators and harmful content.

Emotional: Protecting their hearts from toxic influences, unhealthy relationships, and situations they're not ready for.

Spiritual: Guarding what shapes their worldview, character, and values.

Your kids might not thank you for the boundaries now. But a father who protects is more valuable than a father who's liked. Love sets limits. Protection sometimes means saying no.

Digital Protection

• Know what devices they have and what they do on them
• Have access to their accounts and check periodically
• Set limits on screen time and content
• Delay social media as long as reasonably possible
• Keep devices in common areas, not bedrooms
• Talk about what they encounter online

Balancing Protection and Growth

Protection doesn't mean insulation from all difficulty. Kids need to face challenges, experience consequences, and build resilience. The goal is age-appropriate protection that allows growth while guarding against genuinely harmful things they're not ready to handle.

Your Action Steps

This week: Review your kids' digital access. What do you know? What don't you know?

This month: Have a conversation about protection. Explain why boundaries exist.

This quarter: Audit all areas of protection. Where are you vigilant? Where are there gaps?