My Experience as Youth Pastor

For those that don't know, TMI is "Too Much Information." I have found a major flaw in my desire to get closer to my Youth. As my relationships with them grow they open up to me. That is the point right. I want them to share with me their struggles and dreams. I want them to come to me when they are hurting or excited.

I have forgotten that they struggle with the same things that my friends and I struggled with in school. This means that as they open up to me I am inundated with way too much information about all kinds of subjects that I really don't want to consider they know. I don't want to know that a group of my teens were talking about oral sex and condoms. I have grown close to these kids. They play with my children and I see them as my own in many ways. I don't want to know about this conversation anymore tan I want to know about my parents having the same conversation.

So I propose that we agree to a new set of rules.

1. Anyone I view as innocent must pretend to be innocent.
   
2. My children are not allowed to grow-up so I will always view them as innocent.
   
3. It is possible to have a close personal relationship without ruining my perception of innocence.
   
4. I reserve the right to inflict on others the same as they inflict on me.
   

I think 4 rules is enough. I can now exist in my private little fantasy land and have the ultimate threat to enforce the rules. They think it is fun to talk about this stuff in front of me ... well then let's talk. I'm not afraid to pull the trigger on my stories. They know I am married with 4 kids and they don't want to think about where those kids come from.

Much as the USA and USSR stood immobile against the threat of MAD, Mutually Assured Destruction, during the cold war I think we can form a great relationship on the same principle with regards to innocence. The ball is in their court now.