If you’ve heard Kim Kardashian’s name in the news recently, you know the diva bore her back and front-side for an interview in The Paper.

A great role model.

Not that Kim Kardashian’s a role model, but we can’t deny our teens are influenced by people and things in pop culture. Middle schoolers soak up what’s around them. Have you thought about what your child’s soaking up?

As Christian parents, you’re probably vigilant about what your kids are exposed to. As a parent of middle schoolers for over a decade I’ve been adamant about what my kids see or don’t see, what they’re exposed to or who they hang out with.

But there’s a slow moral drip in the American conscious that permeates a teen’s life no matter what you do. In a culture where violence, sex and licentiousness is everywhere, how do you shelter your teen?

In addition to what you keep out of your teen’s life, it’s important to be intentional about what you pour into them. When a sponge is wet, it can’t soak up more liquids even when more fluid is poured on top of it. Our kids are similar. When we pour good things in first, they’re less likely to absorb the bad.

This isn’t new to you – you’ve been pouring good things into your child since birth. This is a reminder to not let up during the middle school years. It’s easy to get to the teen years and get caught up in wanting your child to fit in, to think they know enough to make the right choices, to trust them.

But they’re still kids whose brains aren’t fully developed until around age 25. A middle schooler might look and act like an almost-adult, but they’re still soaking everything up around them.

Here are 5 tips for parents of middle schoolers (myself included) on how to help your child soak up the best things because bad stuff will come their way.

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