Parenting is a rewarding yet challenging season of one’s life when done intentionally. Good parents put their children’s needs before their own and protect their children with their life if necessary. These aspects of parenthood have been true since the beginning of time. Times, however, change, and it seems recently as if times have drastically changed. The way our parents navigated parenthood can no longer be applied to the way today’s parents navigate parenthood. Today’s parents must always remain vigilant.

Gone are the days when parents were comfortable with letting their children play outside with the neighborhood kids. Gone are the days when kids were safe at school because they were surrounded by trusted adults. With the rapid development of technology and society’s aggressive anti-family agendas, we cannot parent the way our parents did in the ‘80s and '90s.

Today’s children are surrounded by devices and screens. Depending on the parent, some kids will have unlimited and unsupervised access to devices at home, and that welcomes adults with nefarious intentions. We’ve all seen the headlines of pedophiles who use apps like Snapchat and Roblox to find children to groom or coerce into meeting them in person.

It is common to find Facebook groups dedicated to trading pictures of children or of women breastfeeding their babies. Members of these groups are typically men from around the world with women as the admins or moderators of the group. The pictures are easy to find since many parents share their children on social media without thinking of any potential consequences.

Facebook mom groups are good places to spot parenting trends. One rising trend is the extreme caution that mothers now have about sleepovers. The question, “Do you allow sleepovers?” is common in mom groups. The resounding response has now become: “No. You just never know what could happen.” Mothers are right to be cautious of allowing their children to sleep in another family’s home. Even when parents think they know the other family, you just never know. It is safer to keep your child at home than risk putting them in a situation they should not be in.

Schools were once considered safe places for children to be in. They were surrounded by caring adults who were interested in teaching students how to read, write, and do math. Teachers and school administrators knew their role and respected each family’s values. That, unfortunately, is no longer the norm. Many classrooms have turned into active indoctrination camps with activist teachers who pit children against their families. Libs of TikTok recently posted a video of a high school girl speaking out against her white conservative Christian father. If parents have children in public schools today, being a passive bystander is not an option.

Intentionality has always been necessary for good parenting, and that won’t change. Yes, parenting has become more difficult in today’s culture, but that does not mean good married couples should not pursue parenthood. Parenthood is a challenge worth pursuing because nothing is better than shepherding your children into happy, healthy, productive adults.