Our daughter turned 17 earlier in the year. We can’t believe how fast she has grown up or that this time next year she will be away at college. Next fall she will be away from home for the first time living on her own and making her own decisions. Can I be honest? I’m nervous.
The reality that our daughter will soon be entering into the adult world has thrown my husband and I into parenting hyper drive. We only have 12 months to make sure that she has a firm grasp on adult skills like balancing a checkbook, paying bills on time, doing her homework, and reading a road map. If I’m being honest, I have to admit that she has been somewhat spoiled and we worry about whether or not we’ve prepared her for everything she may experience next year.
Let’s face it, campus life has changed dramatically since I was in school. Check out this Crag’s List ad that was recently placed by a porn production company specializing in amateur college porn films. The ad which ran near the University of Michigan campus read:
“The campus invasion is on again and coming to Ann Arbor, Mich. If your frat or group is interested in hosting our adult stars for a night of filming and fun let us know. You will be compensated and will enjoy the experience. Please, email your contact information.”
This ad was designed to recruit college students by promising a fun party where they would have the opportunity to have sex with professional porn stars and earn a bit of spare cash.
As we prepare our daughter for her first year away we realize that there are some things that we can’t cram into this last year. Character development tops the list. Proverbs 22:6 says; “Start children off on the way they should go and even when they are old they will not turn from it.” Temptations to engage in sexual behavior on college campuses have obviously increased since I’ve been a student. And the consequences of falling into that temptation are far greater that ruining a credit score or ditching a study group. Character development starts young and takes time. We’re hoping that we have started young enough, reinforced loud enough, and prayed hard enough to influence her character and bring her up in a way that will protect her from the ‘promises’ of campus ads like these.