About the Guest
Meg Meeker
Episode Transcript
Bob: That fear causes us to want to come in and say: “You’ve got to hear me! You can never do this!” We freak out and our kids are kind of, “Mom and Dad are freaking out.” We have to be shrewder as we address this with our children.
Meg: Absolutely. We need to be wise. We need to have our eyes open, and we need to not parent out of fear. I feel so strongly about that. Kids can be abstinent. Teaching them abstinence does work. Kids love it when you raise the bar for them. You are the most influential person, as far as their sexual decision-making—Mom and Dad are it! It isn’t any of the stars out there—it’s Mom or Dad. You have to believe in your kids / you’ve got to advocate for them. You’ve got to move forward in a very positive, optimistic way—your kids will listen to you!
19:00
Dennis: You know, as you were talking, Meg, I just want to say, “Amen!” I really do because you are cheering on parents. That is what Bob and I want to do here, every day, on FamilyLife Today—is let parents know, “You can do it!”
Meg: Yes, absolutely!
Dennis: The Apostle Paul, in essence, said the same thing in Chapter 4 of First Thessalonians—he said: “Finally, then brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that you receive from us as to how you ought to live and to please God (just as you are doing) and that you do so more and more. For you know the instructions we gave you through our Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” He goes on to say you can control your passion. You don’t need to be like those who are outside the faith. You need to tap into the God who lives in you and live to His glory and to His honor.
20:00
I think young people today, even though they’ll push back—and you’ve said that, repeatedly, as we’ve talked to you, Meg—young people, if you allow them, will push parents out of their lives—
Meg: Oh, yes.
Dennis: —totally. So, we, as parents, can’t be afraid. We have to press on in, knowing the truth—that God gave us children because they need parents all the way to the finish line.
Meg: That’s right.
Dennis: We, as parents, need help; and we need hope—your book does a great job of doing that. I appreciate you being on the broadcast and sharing your heart, as a mom, first of all; and, secondly, as a pediatrician, who is deeply concerned about what is taking place among youth today. Thanks for joining us.
Meg: Thank you. It’s been a pure delight.
Bob: Well, I am hoping that, as we have talked today, there have been a lot of moms and dads, who have said: “You know what? We need to take this issue seriously.” Maybe you’ve never had a conversation like this with your sons or your daughters. Maybe you’ve tried to have a conversation with a son or a daughter, and they’ve just tuned you out.
21:00
Or maybe you’ve got kids in late elementary or middle school-aged kids. You just think, “Well, it seems like it’s too early to talk to them about this kind of thing”; but you know what? This is where sexual behavior is beginning with children today.
When you go to our website, FamilyLifeToday.com, you can get a copy of Dr. Meg Meeker’s book. It’s called Your Kids at Risk. Click in the upper left-hand corner of the home page when you get to FamilyLifeToday.com. You’ll see a link that says, “GO DEEPER.” That will take you right to where you can find out more about Dr. Meg’s book. You can order it from us at FamilyLifeToday.com; or, if it’s easier, call 1-800-FL-TODAY—1-800-358-6329. That is 1-800-“F” as in family, “L” as in life, and then, the word, “TODAY.” Ask about how you can order the book, Your Kids at Risk,when you get in touch with us.
22:00
You know, you think about this issue / you think about all the issues that parents are facing today—and I think it’s a tougher day for parents to be raising children than even ten or twenty years ago. What we’re trying to do, every day, through this program is to provide you with an anchor / a place where you can process the issues that we’re facing in a biblical way to know how to navigate your family through the sometimes turbulent waters that we’re facing today.
FamilyLife Today is here to provide help and hope—practical biblical help for your marriage and for your family. Really, the only reason that we’re able to be here is because folks, just like you, have made it possible—our Legacy Partners, who provide regular monthly support to keep FamilyLife Today strong in this community / on this local radio station—and those of you who pitch in, from time to time, to make sure there’s enough money to cover the costs of producing and syndicating this daily radio program.
23:00
As it turns out, the month of May, right now, is a particularly good time for you to consider making a donation to support this ministry. That’s because we’ve had some friends, who have come alongside us in May, and they have agreed that they will match every donation we receive, this month, dollar for dollar, up to a total of $300,000. We’re excited about that opportunity—we hope to take full advantage of that matching gift.
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24:00
Now, tomorrow, we’re going to sit down with a couple who are in the early years of forming a step-family. You’ll meet Robbie and Sabrina McDonald tomorrow. Our friend, Ron Deal, is going to be here as well. We’re going to talk about some of the challenges that happen in those very first years as you try to blend a family. I hope you can tune in for that.
I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I’m Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of FamilyLife Today.
FamilyLife Today is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas.
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