Episode 31: How to Talk with the Kids with Branson Parler

It sends terror through all parents: How do we talk with the kids about sexuality? Yikes. How do we? We bring our first returning guest, Dr. Branson Parler, Professor of Theological Studies at Kuyper College, and Director of Faith Formation at Fourth Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, MI, to talk about it with us. In addition to his theological cred, he brings real-life walking with his five kids, ages 9, 7, 5, 3, and 1. ​ What we share here is important ground work, and (I hope) specific next steps. We also talk about how to talk about Jesus with kids in general, and our favorite childhood snacks. (Oh yeah, there was that one time I thought I invented the quesadilla. Like, for real I thought that.) Also, we talk Kool Aid Man. Oh, yeah.   //: Highlights: “[We need] to have the theological basis as God as the source of love and God as the source of life. From those, that’s going to provide the backdrop for thinking about God’s intention for marriage, God’s intentions for sex, and children (where do babies come from?). To be able to couch this in a rich theological setting is going to help us engage our kids to move from that to say, ‘This is who God is, and this is one way that we image God.'” “I want my child to be a follower of Jesus, not cisgender or heterosexual as an ultimate identity.”   //: Do the Next Thing: For More