<p>“he could come to me on any and every subject matter for help and advice.”</p>
<p>Honestly, this is the key to ANY topic when you’re raising kids. If your children don’t feel safe asking questions or even challenging you on some of your positions, they WILL NOT come to you when it’s really important. Or, they will be so fearful of your reaction, that when they really need your help, they will go elsewhere, with bad results.</p>
<p>Hard lines in the sand can be disastrous. Elizabeth Smart, the girl who was kidnapped from her home and turned into a sex slave for almost a year, recently said that she HAD the opportunity to escape, but didn’t try, because she was raised to think that if you weren’t a virgin before marriage, your life was over and no one would want you. She actually thought she deserved to stay with the kidnappers. </p>
<p>But that kind of thinking could apply to anything. I made it clear to my kids early on that there is NO wrong question and NO time they could not ask for my help.</p>