When do you find is a profitable time to talk with your children?
- I’ve grown to love breakfast talks. They’re sitting in one place while they’re eating, something helpful for conversation.
- One mother related how her teenage son would chat while she scratched his back.
- Another scheduled a class to take with her daughter at a community college an hour away. The drive was a perfect time to talk.
- Some mothers schedule special times with their children, away from distractions.
- My dad regularly took me out on dates when I was in junior high and high school. I know I talked a great deal.
What are the best ways you’ve found for facilitating conversations with your children?
Well, since my oldest is 2 we pretty much “talk” all of the time. I am struggling with getting her attention long enough for her to actually listen and learn. I am thinking we need a set “Bible story” time during the day. That’s something to add to the list once the baby gets on a more predictable schedule . . .
Thanks for all the comments. Nighttime is a great time to talk, but in our family, that’s when daddy has the opportunity to do so, so I’ve tried to leave evenings for him. It is amazing how easily conversations happen in the dark.
Nicole, I know what it’s like for one-sided “conversations” (even a sentence or two doesn’t always seem to penetrate)!
And you’re right, Deidra. Sometimes our flesh is more concerned about self than what is best for our children. I guess that means I should go get breakfast!
Hi Michelle,
Without fail, my kids open up when I am tucking them in. Sitting close in the dark, just the two of us, has a way of lowering inhibitions and the “guard” that may be up when siblings are present. They are sweet times.
I am a morning person but my kids are not. Quite frankly they are terribly grumpy in the morning! They will talk so much better in the evening at bed time. Part of it, I think, is a plan to get to stay up longer but if it produces good communication and devotion time for us then I guess it is worth it. By that time of the day I am so exhausted that my flesh really wants to just tuck them in and go, but I often have to choose to take advantage of that time with my children rather than give in to my flesh.