Ask Dr. Helen: Should Men Be Kicked Out of the Church Nursery?
I agree with Sarah (1/11 10:48am) – you want to avoid even the appearance of impropriety, hence the open doors. You have to think ahead sometimes. Even though a youth leader is not trying or even thinking about anything inappropriate, something as simple as giving a ride home to a youth of the opposite sex without someone else can lead to questions and worse – and this is regardless of good intentions, and in most cases nothing has happened. Yet the reputation of the adult in question can be irreparably damaged. In other words, common sense has to be applied to every situation.
I’m sure 99% (not a scientific number) of the men and women serving the kids would never even think about doing something like this, but you also don’t want to give any reason for anyone to question or in the worst case, falsely accuse someone. This policy also makes it harder for someone with those proclivities to act on them.
I think the bishop in this case overdid it, especially if he is LDS, because this isn’t what the guidelines say. I will say it is sad that we even have to worry about this, but I would rather worry about and prevent it beforehand with common sense measures than have to repair the damage afterward.
