By Joey and Carla Link
February 3, 2021
Both Carla and I grew up singing this cute little song in Sunday School:
Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see,Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.There’s a Father up above looking down in tender love,Oh, be careful, little eyes, what you see.
This verse would repeat 4 more times using the following headings: Oh, be careful little ears what you hear; Oh, be careful little tongue what you say; Oh, be careful, little hands what you do; andOh, be careful, little feet, where you go.
You can google “Cedarmont Kids – Oh Be Careful Little Eyes What You See” and get the song for your kids to sing along with. It is a fun way for them to think about having self-control over the different parts of their bodies.
1. Eyes:When kids hear something but don’t have an image to put it to, those words remain neutral in his/her mind. Boys especially are visual, which is why the pornographic industry is so successfully infiltrating the pre-teen market.
So be careful parents what you let your kids look at. Our world has turned its attention to screens for everything, this has drifted down to kids too. We were just asked by a parent today if we thought their 9 yr. old should have a phone since all her friends did. A dependency on screens is a reason we say, “Buy books for your kids!” Make family nights about playing games together instead of always popping a movie in. When I (Carla) play games with my 2 and 4 yr. old grandkids I often let them make up the rules as we go along. It is total fun to watch their creativity. Broaden their horizons in a good way and move them beyond total dependency on screens.
2. Hear & SayWhat your kids hear is like a bell that cannot be un-rung. I (Joey) was having lunch with some friends and one of them told a story that I wish I had never heard. I could not get it out of my mind. It is the same for our kids, so please pay attention to what they are seeing and what they are hearing.
We are often struck by what parents say to us in front of their kids. We used to tell our kids that they were never to listen to an adult conversation unless they were invited by us to do so. They should excuse themselves and leave and not force us to ask them to leave. If we were with another family, our kids knew they should take that family’s kids with them and go find something to play or do that all could be involved with.
This also goes for conversations between you and your spouse that go beyond neutral information. Anytime you are talking about someone or a discussion between you gets heated, tell your kids to go play in another room or take yourselves to one instead.
It is good to have words that are off-limits early on like “Stupid” and “Shut Up”. When you do this, kids learn at an early age that there are always words that are off-limits in your family.
“Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.” Proverbs 21:23
This verse means “whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue under control will stay out of trouble.” It is a great verse to teach kids and have them memorize.
3.Hands and FeetDo your kids use their hands to push and shove each other? Our hands can be a blessing for God. Help your kids see how their hands can be used by God to show love to others like their siblings or their grandparents (they can color them a picture or write them a note if they live far away).
Your kids’ feet shouldn’t take them anywhere they haven’t asked for permission to go. Even when they are in the teen years and are driving, they should, out of courtesy and respect, always tell you where they are going and what time you can expect them to return.
We encourage you to teach and train your kids to pursue God and do what he created them to do.
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anythingis excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8