By Doug Fields, pastor at Saddleback Church
“And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are away on a journey, when you are lying down and when you are getting up again.” Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NLT)
The truth is, your kids need communication skills. When children don’t learn how to communicate, they find it difficult to functions in jobs and relationships.
If you ever wonder how important it is to teach your kids how to communicate, pay attention next time you go to a fast-food restaurant where teenagers work. How many times have you done that and wondered who taught them how to communicate?
Unfortunately, it’s they’re parents.
The truth is, your kids need communication skills. When children don’t learn how to communicate, they find it difficult to functions in jobs and relationships.
And, Mom and Dad, you’re the best communications teacher they have. Kids learn communication skills by talking with adults.
God designed the family as a place where parents would follow God and teach their children how to do likewise. The Bible says, “And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children.” (Deuteronomy 6:6 NLT)
You’ve got to talk to your kids to pass on your faith to them. The Bible says to talk to them no matter where you’re at – whether you’re on a journey, laying down, or getting up again. But the key is conversation.
Unfortunately, many kids have learned that the only times when adults want to talk with them is when they’ve messed up.
How do you turn the tide on that? Resist the urge to comment on everything you hear. Kids don’t mean most of what they say. They’re just testing you. So allow them to talk without making them feel you’re going to jump down their neck
Make a goal of having more dialogue in your home. Establish specific times for conversations to happen in your home – maybe around the dinner table. And when your kids talk, just listen next time.
Future fast-food customers will thank you.