Morning folks,

So as I am typing out this blog, I am helping my daughter answer questions from a sex education class at school. Now, she is not actually enrolled in the class called “Compass”, because my wife and I wanted to talk with her about these topics apart from her peers, but one of the teachers was nice enough to give her a book so that she could ask us questions to open the conversation. In the words of my friend, Danielle Henson…

“Y’ALL!!!!!!”

I’m not ready for my little girl to even be approaching me about these topics! Wasn’t she just born on December 22? Nope. That was 13 years ago. Where did the time go?

I appreciate the teacher giving her the book. As painful as it is to have to discuss this stuff (really, it is AWKWARD!!!!), I also recognize how important that it is to hear about my experiences with sex. (She can’t even say the word..lol). Her mother’s perspective is good, but I feel like my perspective is even more important. I hear the way these little boys talk, and I know that games that little boys play. I cant shield her from it, but I can prepare her for it. In this season of her life, I have to recognize that she is not going in reverse. She’s moving full speed ahead. So I have to prepare her. Loving her in this stage involves awkward conversations and preparation. I have to get her ready, because while she hates being called a teenager, and wishes that she could still shop in Gymboree, she is still showing signs of moving toward the hard years.

We want her to succeed. We want her to understand that we will support her through mistakes. We won’t be her friends, but we will be friendly enough that she can approach us and not keep things inside. That was my mode of operation. It almost destroyed me several times. But not her. Not Kaila. She will be stronger than me.

So, while sex education makes her blush and causes me to drink lots of water to heal my dry, parched throat while I explain different things that I know she hates hearing the answers to, (seriously, she didn’t even ask me questions at first. She only asked my wife!), it has to happen.

God, help us!