Moral Relativism and Your Kids

Here’s a little phrase you may have heard from your teen in one form or another in response to your efforts to provide parental guidance and direction: “That may be ok for you. But it’s not right for me.” Welcome to the emerging world of moral relativism. In today’s world, kids are encouraged to create truth for themselves. The only rule is that there are no rules. There is no universal standard of right and wrong. Rather, it’s up to the individual to determine what is right and what works for them. Take a look around and you’ll see evidence of teens living under the authority of self as they make all kinds of lifestyle choices. The end result of the loss of this shared moral compass is anarchy. Taken to an extreme, your kids won’t be choosing to obey you. While it makes our parenting task that much harder, we must confront moral relativism whenever it rears its ugly head in our kids’ lives. Carefully point out the contrast between God’s never-changing standards, and the ever-changing personal “truths” of moral relativism.