Reconnecting With Our Children

The weather is starting to warm up and it's almost time for school to let out for summer vacation. OK! I hear you.

Some of you who are parents of school-age children are groaning at the prospect of having kids underfoot or of finding worthwhile things for them to do over the summer. Some are looking forward to it with anticipation, as a time to reconnect with the entire family. When my children were younger, I admit that I viewed summer vacation time with a lot of trepidation. The main issue was transportation. I was always worried about being stuck in traffic an hour away and being late picking up my child from day camp. The stress levels were always high. So, yeah, I hear you.

But despite all that, why not try something different this year? If you haven't done so before, why not deliberately schedule a few evenings with your child just gently and quietly talking and reconnecting with each other. No computer games; no TV; no telephones or visitors. Just you and them. Just listen and allow them to talk about whatever they want to talk about. Don't offer any advice-yet. Just listen.

Everyone has a need to be heard. Children especially want to be heard by adults. So often we overlook them. The older ones will probably think what you're doing is dumb. If you genuinely listen to them, they may warm up to the whole idea after a while. Be strategic about it and you might be surprised at what you hear. These quiet moments with your child may lead to greater closeness and understanding, and perhaps later on, opportunities to instill deeper values and godliness.

In prayer, ask the Lord to help you and your children to stay closely connected, despite whatever craziness is going on in all your lives. Staying connected. Listening to others. Those are good words.