…but it’s for the children.

You won’t be part of every battle your children face, and you may not even know about the battles they’re in right now. You can, however, help them to choose their armor as well as their weapons, and teach them about the things worth fighting for and those worth defending.

Know the battlefield.
Check out axis.org for bite-sized summaries and faith-based perspectives on what’s happening in the world of our young people. Be in the world, not of the world. Romans 12:2

Prepare them for when you can’t protect them.
Teach your kids how to think, not what to think. With virtual assistants like Google, Alexa, and Siri, as well as free AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok, answers to almost any question are just a few taps away. These tools can be powerful helpers, but they can also quietly train our minds to stop wrestling, stop remembering, and stop discerning. Our children will never lack information, but information without responsible direction is worthless at best, and detrimental at worst. The greatest command carries with it the necessity of thought —to love The Lord your God with all your mind, as well as your heart, soul, and strength. We don’t want our kids to just have the right answers; we want them to know how to look for them, how to test them, challenge them, and align them with truth.

Present your kids with the present of your presence.
The best investment you can make is intentional time spent with your children. Protect them, teach them, enjoy them. You’ll always have things you need to do, but you won’t always have children who need you. “Children are not a distraction from more important work. They are the most important work.” — C.S. Lewis.