When dad (or mom) uses porn, what happens to the kids in the house?
Today’s guest poster is going to tell her story today. She’s a frequent reader and a blogger, but she wishes to remain anonymous to protect the family members mentioned in her story. But I know her story could be so many others, too:
Porn’s version of paying it forward
Their eyes stared back at me each morning. I tried to avoid looking at them by covering my face with my teddy bear or by looking down at my feet, but there was something strangely hypnotizing about them. Stacks and stacks of magazines full of half-naked women piled just outside of reach, but not out of sight. Odd really, considering that racier posters were in plain sight on the wall.
The word on the street that porn is harmless and that pin-up girl pictures never hurt anyone grieves my heart in the deepest way. Not just because of the damage that porn is doing to marriages, but because of its effects on children. Porn in the home pays forward dysfunctional attitudes and behaviours, passing on a heritage of sin and brokenness to the next generation.
Porn’s legacy in my life began with me feeling grossly unattractive and inadequate as a girl and eventually as a young woman. It was the sentiment I experience now looking at a Cosmopolitan magazine in the grocery store multiplied by a thousand. I didn’t know then that the images were not real. My father was so captivated by these women, but I didn’t look anything like them. Would any man ever want me?
The pictures also accelerated my sexual awareness. I could sense when adults around me were attracted to each other and knew exactly what a locked door meant well before I had the emotional maturity to sort out how I felt about it. I was confused, but I didn’t feel safe talking to anyone about it. Sex was blatantly displayed around the house and yet I still felt a sense of shame about it.
Worst of all, these images distorted my view of myself as a woman. I never saw pictures of men treating women with respect. The women were always posed in such a way as to be “available for the man’s taking”. The result in my young and impressionable mind was that the purpose of a woman was to be used by a man. You’d think that this would be horrifying to a young girl, but it wasn’t. I was actually petrified that I would never be “used” in that way by anyone. I didn’t look like the women in the pictures, so I must not be desirable. In my desperation to prove my own worthiness and desirability, I basically threw my virginity at the first guy I dated (who I didn’t even like!) because at least then I was desirable enough for someone to sleep with.
Hiding porn doesn’t erase its damage
In today’s world, grown-ups can hide their porn behind computer passwords, which I think provides a false sense of security. There’s no porn in the house; there’s only porn on the computer. It’s all tucked away, so it won’t hurt the kids, right? Not so much.
Kids have a way of finding their parents’ secrets. My dad had movies, too. They were at the back of the closet on a special shelf with a blanket on top of them. I found them while looking for my game console, and knew exactly what they were. I never watched one, but I easily could have.
Porn impaired my father’s parenting judgment. If we are exposed to something over and over again, it becomes normal for us, and it takes more and more to produce a sense of shock. While I was thankfully never in the room when the back-of-the-closet movies made their way onto the TV, I did see more than my fair share of inappropriate media content. I spent countless hours watching shows with violent and sexual themes. I was also taken to an R-rated movie at the tender age of 8. Images of naked prostitutes from that film remain crystal clear in my mind more than 25 years later. Worst of all, they have a habit of popping into my head when I’m making love to my husband. Perfect.
Porn in the home compromised my stepmother’s parenting judgment. I think that my stepmother was affected by desensitization as well. Nudity was no big deal to her. She would force me to change out of my swimsuit in public places in spite of my protests because she thought my objections were ridiculous. During a group campout, the girls had to sponge-bathe outside while the boys watched. This was no big deal for her, but it made me want to puke. Could she have been so misguided without porn’s influence? Perhaps. But I’m guessing it didn’t help matters any.
A better legacy
The issues that I’ve mentioned still affect me to varying degrees today. They didn’t just disappear when I grew up and got married. I have many of the symptoms of porn use even though I have never voluntarily looked at it! By God’s grace I have a wonderful husband who is captivated by me and only me. Together and by God’s strength, we are building healthy attitudes and behaviours, trying to pass on a heritage of faith and wholeness in God to our children. Won’t you join us?
Sheila says, Thanks so much for writing this, Anonymous! I appreciate it.
If you are struggling with porn in your house, here are some posts that can help:
The Top 10 Effects of Porn on your Marriage and Your Sex Life
4 Things You Must Do if Your Husband Uses Porn
What to do if you Catch Your Child Using Porn
The post How Porn in the House Affects Kids appeared first on To Love, Honor and Vacuum.