The rite of passage

I have been silent for quite some time, blog-o-sphere wise. There has been so much to write about, but because it is all happening so fast, I haven't had a chance to sit down to type it out.

A month ago I embarked on one of the greatest journeys ever. I took my son away for several days on a camping trip and with a little help from Family Life Today, I walked him into the knowledge of manhood. My wife had taken the same journey with our two daughters, respectively, of course. My wife and I chose the age of eleven years old hoping to catch them before they had been exposed to a tainted message of maturity, but old enough for it all to be relevant.

Ricky crossing from tree to tree.

With our cabin booked at the KOA in Hagerstown, MD, we took off for three days and two nights of masculinity at its finest; fishing, cooking and eating a whole lot of meat, fire, and outdoor activity. Oh yeah, there was a pretty good bit of World Series baseball too. We didn't rough it too much. As I said, Family Life helped out greatly. All three of our children received "the talk" from Dennis and Barbara Rainey, and let me tell you, as uncomfortable as the whole situation can be, they made it significantly simpler. With their help, I was able to equip my son to navigate life's most difficult obstacles, even harder than this one at River Rider's aerial adventure park.

A couple things here. First of all, parents, you gotta do this. No matter how you found these things out, the best way for your young person to get this kind of information is straight from mom and/or dad. It IS awkward. It has the potential to be embarrassing. It is so much easier for them to just pick it up somewhere from a friend, or something. You gotta do this.  You've heard the adage, "If you want something done right, do it yourself." Trust me. You want this done right. This is responsibility at its highest level.

Doing some serious reading and thinking.

Also, don't feel like there is only one uncomfortable way to handle this. This time away was one of the greatest times I have ever had as a father. I heartily endorse the Passport to Purity materials. I was never sat down and given the low-down on the facts of life. I had nothing to draw from (aside from my own life now) and I am sure many, if not most, of you are in the same boat. Using this gave me the platform to communicate to my son all that was on my heart. It helped us both to open up, to be transparent and talk about some tough stuff. But now...what can't we talk about? Nothing. There is nothing off limits. We can talk about anything, especially now that we've taken on the mechanics and the biology of the birds and the bees.



 God has blessed me with tremendous family relationships. I am excited to say that the bond between my son and I has been strengthened 100-fold through the time that was intentionally given to dealing with some of life's most complicating things, manhood, purity, sexuality, and relating to the opposite sex. Don't dodge it. Take it head on. Make it something to celebrate. You'll be so glad you did.