Parenting can be hard, especially when it involves having tough conversations with your kids. However, you have a voice in their lives that no one else does, so how can we use that voice in those challenging moments to help lead our kids well? How do we, as parents, enter into these challenging conversations with our kids?
Here are two tips:
- Be intentional. Weighty conversations deserve intentionality. Making sure you have set aside time, created a calm environment, and thought about your tone and words will provide a much better runway for success than having an off-the-cuff conversation when you’re already emotionally charged or emotionally drained. If an opportunity for a conversation arises that you’re not ready for, cut yourself some slack. It’s OK to ask your child for a raincheck or to circle back to the conversation at a later date. It’s also OK to ask your child for a redo if you feel you need one.
- Point to Christ. This is what separates us, as his followers, from the rest of the world. There is great secular advice out there, but we know the Giver of Hope and the Prince of Peace. When tragedy strikes, our hope is in Christ. When there’s uncertainty or fear, he is our peace. When there is guilt or shame, he is our redeemer. As Christian parents, our highest calling is to point our kids to Christ.
Sometimes the challenging conversations involve understanding tragedy in the world around us. Other times it involves correcting dangerous or harmful behaviors.
Yet other times it involves talking about trauma or hurt that is close to home.
There are no magic wands, but it’s helpful to have resources such as those in the links above. Check them out for more information.
