What Ever Happened to Self-Censorship?

I knew I once wrote that I would not use this blog for ranting, but how can I express to you the anger I feel right now? 

Let me tell you what happened yesterday.

As I drove to Costco with my children, our van stopped at a red light. Across the street was a store that, I guess, sold motorcycles and other bike accessories. My oldest son looked out his car window and read the name of the store, then asked about the words above the store's name.

"I know what bikes are, and I know what rock 'n' roll is, but what is sex?" he asked.

The store thought it was so witty to advertise its image as 'sex, bikes, and rock 'n' roll'.

My most thoughtful answer at the time was, "Let me think about the best way to explain it, and I'll get back to you." Then, when I had a chance, I told my husband about the incident, and we both agreed that we could not shield our son from that kind of vulgarity anymore, and that it would be better for him to learn about sex from us, than from a peer or other adult.

I understand the argument about free speech, but I do think we need some censorship. But what made me angry was that the store could not censor itself. It was prominently located on a major street, near residential neighborhoods, and it still chose to promote more than bikes on its store front. Gone are the days when people watched their language in the presence of children. Gone are the days when certain topics of conversation were deemed inappropriate when women were present. Now it's 'do what sells' on our magazine covers, store windows, and commercials. And as more of my children are learning to read, and are becoming aware of the images around them, I have to be more careful.

I know I can't guard my children for the rest of their lives, but I do want to preserve their innocence for as long as I can. I want them to learn about the realities of life when they are ready, and I want them to learn about life as God intended it to be, not the way the world shouts it out to be.