iShine Updates
( FIRST, I KNOW I SPELLED IT WRONG IN THE TITLE OF THE VIDEO:) )
As our kids get older, especially as teen agers, it seems sometimes all we are doing is correcting – at least thats the way it feels for me.
Well, you have heard of the “Love dare” from the movie Fireproof right – (one kind act a day day for 40 days) well, I have a similar ’dare’ for us parents
Look, find and express AT LEAST one word/thought a day of encouragement.
Sounds easy enough… well, the challenge is how you approach it – I explain in this video - Just one word a day to mould a young life
If you found this helpful – check out these What to do with disrespect and Being selfish as a way of serving.
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We ALL want to have a healthy home. We all want our kids to turn out “right“. But as we get some mileage on our lives, we find out it’s harder than it sounds… to find some answers, I’ve been studying in the book of Exodus, looking at the patterns of God for the home in its history and content.
The old testament tabernacle emerges as a symbol of the home. Resembling a huge modern-day tent, it exemplified the pattern of worship, law and common-unity for the nation of Israel to grow up and around. This same tabernacle housed the presence of God in its Holiest inner chamber and clearly expressed the heart of God to be with man, in a home.
That mobile and temporary tent structure was replaced hundreds of years later by King David’s son Solomon who erected a massive stone temple that more properly honored and reflected the blue-print that God had described in Exodus for a dwelling place on earth. Even it in all it’s glory, the temple was still an imperfect demonstration of the heart of God towards man….
When Jesus Christ shows up on the stage of history in the Roman era, we begin to see more of the original architects intended design for a Heavenly home. What had been a magnificent stone representation (temple in Jerusalem) of the covenant between man and God was now being transitioned to a new covenant. No longer would the covenant be based on a man to God approach (outside in) but on a much firmer foundation, that of a God to man (inside out) approach. With this new covenant came a new blue-print for God’s home. In this new pattern, His presence would no longer be containable in a physical structure like a tent (tabernacle) or temple. Instead He would live in the very hearts of those who accepted and followed the teachings and ways of His only son, Jesus.
This created a new focus,a shifting of attention from the external behavior or appearance of people, to the internal reality of their hearts and minds.
Skipping the deeper theological tenants for the sake of brevity, suffice it to say… this new covenant still modeled the ancient blueprints of God’s plan and purpose to be in relationship with man, but it no longer required us to experience God through a surrogate (Moses, Priests or Prophets)…always one relationship away from God’s presence. Instead we were granted the most precious gift of all… of being allowed into the presence of God for ourselves. So what’s this have to do with a healthy home?
Simply this… for us to fully experience a peaceful and vibrant life we will need to back away from having an over focus on the exterior of our homes. Struggling to maintain the outside appearances of our families to others is not going to work… it’s exhausting and impossible to accomplish in our own human strength or wisdom.
When we try to live to maintain the “status quo” of what we believe is proper we major on a minor theme. If we as parents find ourselves overly concerned with “what they (others, neighbors, friends, church) might think” of us, it suggests we might still be “stuck” in the old covenant of ”earning our way” back to God by our external behaviors.
Jesus calls us to abandon that “old” way of living out faith, and instead as parents to make it a priority to spend time with Him first. If we spend that time alone with Him on a regular basis… it allows Him permission to write His law on our hearts…and when it’s in our hearts, it transforms. Families will begin to experience a perceptible shift, completely from within, starting from the top down, and spreading naturally from the inside out. Just like Jesus said it would.
Such changes are not temporary or transient, but eternal and reflect the heart transformation that can only occur when we are in the presence of God. When we focus on our own faith and our own heavenly father first, we may just discover that our ability to be Christ to our kids will suddenly expand and watch in amazement as our and their “hearts” re-arrange themselves into a healthy and purposeful pattern… which is a divine BLUEPRINT for a HEALTHY HOME 
Peace out RTP!
brad
Tagged: Blueprint for Home, Christianity, Exodus, faith and family, Happy Home, Jesus Christ, kids hearts, Moses, parenting, Tabernacle, Transformation 
This week T.J. Lane stormed into Chardon High School armed with a .22-caliber handgun and went on a shooting spree starting at 7:30a.m. After T.J.’s rampage, the death toll rose to three while several others recover in the hospital.
Can I just rant for a second…
I am sick and tired of these school massacres! I am disgusted that T.J’s parents led him down this path! Yeah, that’s right! I hate that “cool” kids pride themselves on ruining others’ lives! I hate that kids rarely report obvious warning signs! And I hate that school massacres are no longer a shock!
So parents…here are three parenting take aways from this massacre!
- THE BUCK STOPS WITH YOU: It has been reported that Lane’s father has spent a significant amount of time in jail for domestic abuse against T.J.’s mother as well as several other women. Between 1995 – 1997 T.J.’s mom and dad were both arrested and charged with domestic violence against each other. Parents, let this be a wake up call to us all! What is your demon of parenting? Are you a screamer, are you violent, do you give the silent treatment, are you addicted to porn, are you absent or are you a workaholic? Please know that the buck stops with you to reverse “the demon” curse in your family. If T.J’s father would have fallen to his knees in repentance and received the help he needed, T.J. may be studying Geography as we speak.
- TEACH YOUR KIDS TO SPEAK UP: It has also been reported that there were a handful of warning signs that pointed to this outrageous act. One warning sign was that two months before the murder, T.J. posted a poem on Facebook that detailed a violent massacre and ended it with “Die all of you”! I don’t know about you, but I am also growing tired of warning signs becoming visible after the fact. I get why, but I also believe parents should sit down with their kids and teach them to become “tattle tales”. Seriously!! If your kids receive an awkward text message, if they see a “threatening” Facebook update, if they hear a rumor, if they suspect someone is angry and about to explode…they need to be taught to come to you and tattle!
- THERE IS NO “COOL” OR “UNCOOL”: I absolutely hate bullying! I also hate that adult and kids alike have labels and classifications for people. Some people are cool, some are uncool, some are the have’s and some are the have not’s. As I read Psalms 139, I read that everyone is a special creation of the Holy God and that we are all given access to our Heavenly Father’s inheritance. It’s not just the lovely, talented, hot, smart, athletic and ripped that are considered “cool” in God’s eyes. Parents, I believe one of our most significant jobs is to hit the delete button on labels and classifications. We must teach our kids that we ALL have been created by the King! Maybe we should teach our kids that “cool” is the “new UNcool”!
Which 1 of these conversations do you need to have with your kids?
If you liked this post, you should also check out…
- Bullying Disgusts Me
- Teach Your Kids To Find Their Voice
- What Parents Can Learn From Serial Killer Anders Behring Breivik
- Raise Your Kids To Be UNcool
Sometimes parents just HAVE to work too freakin much!!
There you go. I said it. It’s out.
Sometimes parents just HAVE to work long hours…
Sometimes parents have to talk on the phone at soccer practice…
Sometimes parents have to check e-mail at inopportune times…
Sometimes parents have to miss field trips…
And sometimes parents have to be late to sporting events…
But guess what??
That doesn’t mean that your a disconnected, lousy, workaholic, looser, don’t give a rip parent!! (although some of you may be)
If you work long ridiculous hours, it just might mean that you have bills to pay, mouths to feed, shoes to buy and piano lessons to pay for.
So…If your not one of those lousy workaholic addicts and your just trying to pay the bills,
Here are 5 tips that might help you during this busy season in your life…
- SHOOT STRAIGHT: If your schedule is out of control and there is nothing you can do about it, shoot straight with your kids. Ask your son to sit in your lap (unless he’s 17) and tell him that work is crazy right now and that there is nothing you can do about it. Don’t promise that it will slow down next week, too many parents promise tomorrow and never deliver.
- BE PRESENT: Be PRESENT when your not PRESENT. Man, that’s a good one! I’m going to say that one more time. Be PRESENT when your not PRESENT. I believe that a parents presence can be felt through THIS, text messages, emails, lunch box notes, markers on the mirror, phone calls and iphone voice memos. If your truly not an absent, workaholic, lousy no good parent…you should be striving to be PRESENT when your not PRESENT. I just had to say that one more time!
- BURN THE PERFECT ATTENDANCE CERTIFICATE: Hmmm…how can I say this best? Try this one, YOU SKIP WORK AND LET YOUR KIDS SKIP SCHOOL!! Your kids will love it! I promise! As you might be able to tell, Team Sprad doesn’t value the perfect attendance award so much, and I pull my kids out of school on a regular basis. Why? So that I can spend time with them when I have an open gap in my schedule. So I encourage all parents to head to Mott’s, pick up a 5 cent lighter and lets burn the perfect attendance certificates together.
- SURRENDER THE PHONE: Find sacred space in your evening and surrender your phone to your kids. Give it a try! WARNING: you could suffer withdrawls that could be accompanied by tremors, headaches, confusion, hair falling out in clumps, sleep walking, vomiting, diarreah, whites of your eyes could turn red, erection lasting up to 7 hours and possible bed wetting!
- TALK TO YOUR BOSS: This can be a really difficult conversation to have. Sit down with your boss, share your heart and ask him/her to help you spend more time with your family.
Talk to me!!?! Which 1 of these conversations do you need to have with your kids?
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Last week my oldest son called me out!!
I tried to deny it. I tried to talk my way out of it. I tried to excuse away my behavior.
But at the end of the day… HE was right! I was wrong!
If you take a stroll through the EpicParent archives, you will see several posts where I encourage parents to give their kids’ permission to disagree with them as well as respectfully confront them.
And Mr. Coletrain Spradlin took his dad’s advice and he called me out!
Our conversation went a little something like this…
Train: “Dad, what’s wrong?”
Me: “Not exactly sure what your talking about?”
Train: “It just seems like you’re not very happy anymore. You don’t do stupid stuff that makes me and my friends laugh as much as you use to.”
Me: “Have you talked to your brother and sister about this? Have they noticed anything?”
Train: “No, but my best friend, Travis, said something about it last week. He just said ‘your dad’s not as much fun to be around as he used to be?’”
Ouch!!! I hate to admit it, but Train was right.
I think that a couple of years of playing Mr. Mom & Mr. Dad (while my wife attends nursing school), trying to get several EpicParent projects off the ground, seeing my wife very little over the past couple of months and a fairly crazy season at work has just zapped my joy!
Have you ever gone through a season like this?
A season where life, work, demands and stress takes over and wipes the smile from your face?
Or am I the only one? Come on, don’t leave me hanging!!
Here are a few verses that have encouraged me during this season of life…
“Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Nehemiah 8:10
“There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy.” Psalm 43:4
“Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4
“Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!” Philippians 4:4
So as I was talking to God about my joy problem today, He reminded me that…
When my joy is in anything or anyone other than Him, it can be stolen or taken away because everything that brings me “joy” apart from Him is temporary. When my joy is in Him alone, it cannot be taken away or stolen!
So…
To all those tired, discontent, stressed, worried, over worked parents out there…the boat, big house, vacation, time off, large church, professional title, having kids that can play 3 instruments and start on the basketball team…this stuff is temporary and will not bring you joy.
It may be time for you to simply place your focus back on HIM!
Are you in a season where you have lost your joy? If so, I would love to hear your story?
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Yesterday was a beautiful day, 75 F and sunny in middle Tennessee and I’m casually listening to AM talk radio thoroughly enjoying my country commute as I wind my way home over the peaceful hills from work…when I hear a fascinating conversation unfold between the national talk show host and a young male caller… it went something like this;
Rick Santorum
Caller - ”So why do Republican’s like Rick Santorum (link to 2008 speech article with the Chicago SunTimes) have to talk openly about evil and satan as if they are real and not myth? I mean, if they (Christian politicians) would just stay away from talking about evil and satan, than mainstream voters might actually take them seriously”
Host – shocked… pauses and then says something like this; ” You mean to tell me you don’t believe in evil? You don’t believe in evil people and events like Hitler and Stalin and 911? Who do you think is the source of that evil?”
Caller – ” Look, the old ways of looking at good vs. bad is out of date, people know that there is no such thing as the devil or a red guy in hell with pitchfork and a tail…Evil is not an entity, or a force in the world, it’s the result of unchecked fear and anger and indoctrination”
Host - shocked and irritated… ” Seriously, you’re suggesting that evil is just a by-product of the human condition, that people are really innocent and just victims of circumstance, so there is no real “right or wrong” just mis-understoods?”
The discussion degenerated from there with the caller suggesting the host was actually guilty of being such a mis-guided, angry, fear monger, an on air idea bully, who was every bit as evil in the callers view as the historical criminals the host had used as examples…The host hangs up on the caller in frustration and rants a raves about the overall degeneration of the American culture and the loss of our basic principles of morality etc… warning the listeners that if we’re not careful, the legal system in the US will become a vehicle by which the liberals will destroy and shut down talk radio as being a “evil” influence and trample our constitutional rights as citizens etc..
Satan as depicted in the "Passion of the Christ" movie
I was disturbed by the conversation, as I drove I considered what the words implied or suggested about where we might be heading as a country, as a culture as a society. But my concern was more focused on the fact the young caller had no context for Faith or Truth beyond a secular education and it bothered me that the caller never even seemed to consider that there could in fact be a source of evil in the world. That the teachings of the bible could contain some intellectual merit, or even a fraction of believable truth behind them.
He blew off two thousand years of historical Judeo-Christian influence in a heartbeat in favor of a Godless-devil-less world view that only considered the existence of evil as a by-product of organized religion. The bible was not even a consideration in his decision-making process… not even the most basic facts that it upholds… of Good and Evil.
Whew…. now that IS scary.
As a Christian… as a parent; I am reminded afresh of the need to be extra diligent with the way I interact with the next generation that God has intrusted us/me to protect and teach and guide. Fear based living is a devastating tragedy and not biblical, but ignorance of the existence of Good vs. Evil is way worse in my humble opinion. I believe there actually is a devil, that one of his names is satan and he is alive and well on planet earth, actively seeking to undermine and influence those of us who blissfully insist he’s not real.
I’m not suggesting as Christians we perpetuate an image of a pitchfork carrying, red skinned grinning joker of a guy with stubby horns – leaning behind your shoulder as an absurd cartoon devil. No, I’m actually referring to someone who is much more; someone or something that can appear kind and compassionate, complex, beyond elegant, beyond beautiful, adept and deceptive, logical and brilliant beyond humanities ability to comprehend, whose sole mission is to deceive mankind into NOT believing God or His words (bible), but casually suggesting in his charade that man doesn’t need God and can easily afford to shrug off the potential for any real consequences from our choices. 
The one in the garden who seduced Eve and began the entire chapter of our human suffering and sin.
It’s becoming ever clearer, given today’s cultural multi-faceted attacks on anyone who claims to endorse biblical values or faith based lifestyles, millions of kids (like the caller) must now by default be growing up without any reference point for morality, for truth, for faith… unable to discern Good or Evil for themselves.…If, as parents we’re not intentional, we may risk our kids growing up without the truth, believing what that young caller had subscribed to… a modern philosophy of man existing as the center of the world, (Humanism) and the false assumption that the bible and existence of a fallen supernatural angel are simply empty stories to be dismissed. If that happens broadly in our culture to an entire generation of kids over the next decade…… ?
Sobering thought…Let’s agree together to NOT let that happen. We must engage our kids in discussion, dialogue and truth about Good and Evil, about God and the devil and this years presidential political controversy is a great opportunity to start !
Peace out, RTP.
—————————————–
PS – (RoadTrip Parenting is NOT a political blog, neither are we taking a public position on who to support for the 2012 presidential race etc… the comments and references to Rick Santorum are meant for illustration of the point and for reference to the actual conversation on the radio)
Tagged: 2012 Presidential election, Christianity, Ethics, evil, faith and family, Good, Humanism, Morality, parenting, Religion, Rick Santorum, Road Trip Parenting, Satan, the Bible, Values 
Today’s post is from my good friend Michelle Clark, also known as Miss. Banana Pants.
Michelle is a friend from the Oklahoma City area and she has a deep passion for being a great mother, loving wife and making people laugh! If you have never met her or connected with her on Facebook, she is freaking hilarious.
You can check out her blog HERE.
And I would love it if you would LIKE Miss. Banana Pants on Facebook, you can do that HERE.
Michelle, thanks for posting at EpicParent again!!
So here’s Miss. Banana pants…
Kids sure have a way of (figuratively) punching you right in the gut when you least expect it, don’t they? Their unassuming words can wash a blanket of guilt right over you in nothing flat. And before you know it, you’re feeling like the suckiest parent in the world and saving your pennies for the future therapy that your kid will inevitably need thanks to you.
Yes, sometimes, even when you dedicate over 98% of your day to your children, it’s still apparently not enough. My son pointed this very fact out to me one night last week while tucking him into bed. He was beyond tired and cranky and ready for sleep, and he blurted out an accusation so stinging that he might as well have stabbed me right in the heart. Through a haze of tears and snot, he said, “You like your iphone more than you like me.“ Ugh. That REALLY hurt.
Given that writing is my passion and that my ultimate goal is, in fact, to write a book some day, I am on my computer and phone a decent amount of the time. And yeah, I like to hop on my Facebook here and there to keep me in check with the adult world since Phineas and Ferb are swirling around the background of my home 24/7. And even though I know deep down in my heart that I bend over backwards and forwards to make my kids happy whenever I possibly can, my son’s weepy insinuation totally made me question every single one of my parenting skills. I couldn’t help but think, “Have I been a bad mom?”
I swallowed the ginormous lump that was trying to take over my throat and told Mr. Grouch that I would choose him over my iphone any old day. Naturally, he drifted off to Dreamland without so much as even a second thought, but I, however, stewed over this guilt all night long. Why, as parents, do we do this to ourselves??!! NOBODY is perfect (not even you, June Cleaver!), yet we kick our own butts over not being the perfect mom or the perfect dad.
I have learned lately that I am the Queen of Guilt-tripping. I take a new trip everyday, it seems. I made them eat cereal before daycare instead of eggs and toast. . .It’s pizza for dinner instead of some homemade casserole concoction. . .I really shouldn’t have a Mommy’s Day Out today, my stinker has really been clingy lately. . .It’s almost never-ending the amount of added stress that we as parents pour on ourselves everyday. As I lose sleep, yet again over the words of my four-year-old tonight, one important fact spontaneously comes to mind.
On the seventh day, God rested.
Heaven knows His daily To-Do List rivals mine. Creating the sun and moon and stars and whatnot. (I would like to point out that He did not have laundry to keep up with. . .but I know that issue is a separate post entirely!) God walked with us everyday, but there were still other things to accomplish. Nothing necessarily more important than us, but the business of provision was still on His mind. And then, on the seventh day HE RESTED. I need to remember this in those moments that I beat myself up for having a little “me-time” when the toddler duo is banging on the bathroom door full-force. I especially need to remind myself of this when my precious Grouch decides to make mommy (unpurposefully) feel like a complete failure right before bedtime. Who am I to think that I can take on more than God? I need to embrace His example without guilt.
I never WILL be the perfect mom. But I strive to give them all I have everyday. I could continue to dwell on ways to sacrifice even more of my sanity and moments of “recovery time” so that I don’t have to get guilt-ridden accusations like I did tonight, but at some point, my efforts would be worthless. Because kids will always demand more. And more and more. They are attention-mongers who cannot be satisfied. Especially my precious monsters. So, although I will try harder not to prioritize anything above them, I will resolve to the fact that I’m enough. My kids have the most awesome mom ever. They just don’t know it yet.
Do you ever feel like a “not enough” parent? If so, I would love to hear your story?
“Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the Lent season. It’s important that we observe the inauguration of the Lenten season as we join ourselves (fellow Christian believers all over the globe) together, placing ashes on our foreheads and praying prayers of repentance.
Courtesy of Somersault Group
The purpose of Lent at a macro level is to remind us of the cost of sin. We no longer have animal sacrifices to remind us as in days of old and it’s easy to just throw a prayer asking Jesus’ forgiveness skyward and move on. Lent is a Christian season that guides us toward Good Friday and ultimately shows us what our redemption cost.
On a micro level we often give up something for Lent. The tradition is that you give up chocolate or coffee etc. Although a cute tradition, it’s a little misguided. During the forty days of Lent we invite the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what has fallen out of alignment. We ask that we be given eyes to see what has come between us and God. Not all things in our lives are bad, but when they come between us and Jesus we are oriented to them rather than God. We then choose to give them up for a season so that Christ can re-integrate them into our lives appropriately. ”
—–(Quote above - From Father Brian Hardin of Four Winds Anglican Mission ) —
Ash Wednesday is a time to reconsider, to reassess who we are and how we are living… as the popular Christian rock/pop band Switchfoot says in one of their great lyrics… “Are We Who We wanna BE?” Not in the negative context per say… but in the contemplative and open to hear God tell us anything kind of way… are we?
So let me encourage you to consider taking a moment today to consider Ash Wednesday as more than a catholic event, or more than an “old” church experience, maybe it’s time to consider observing this time-honored Christian tradition of faith. Maybe even include your kids, your family and your friends in this process? Who knows… there are a lot of Wednesday night bible studies and prayer groups out there in evangelical world who just might find this opportunity life-giving. I know I sure have.
As families, it might be fun to consider together what you might need to “re-align” in your home in preparation of Easter. Less media, more sun, or less pizza and more veggies… this doesn’t need to become a “religious” exercise, keep it real. Honest and authentic… in forty days, let me/us know what happened?
I can guarantee you, God will speak if you take the time to get quiet enough to hear.
Peace out RTP.
brad.
Tagged: Ash Wednesday, brad mathias, Brian Hardin, Christian holidays, Easter, faith and family, Four Winds Mission, Lent, Road Trip Parenting, Somersault Group, Switchfoot, Time honored Traditions 
- THE “BE BRAVE” CONVERSATION: I am sick and tired of young men or should I say punks, treating young ladies like a piece of meat! I am sick and tired of girl on girl gossip and bullying! I am disgusted by the peer pressure girls place on one another to bump and grind at the school dances!! Shall I go on!!?! Mom’s, it’s time to teach your daughters the lost art of BRAVERY!! You must teach your daughters to be brave and say NO! You must teach your daughters to be brave and walk away from their so-called “friends”! You must teach your daughters to be brave and stand up for the girl being bullied! Change your daughter’s life and give them the permission to take a stand and say NO!
- THE “I’M NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND – I’M YOUR MOM” CONVERSATION: I see more and more young girls talking disrespectfully to their moms. I am seeing them scream, demean, dis-honor, lie to and guilt their moms. I was in a barber shop several months ago (yeah, not for me…it has been years since I have seen a barber shop) and I saw this young lady light her mom up like a firecracker! I couldn’t believe I was seeing this go down in front of so many people! I had finally had my limit with this, so I grabbed this young lady up, put her over my knee and spanked her… Yeah, not so much, but I sure wanted to. Moms, it is time for you to look your daughter square in the eyes and remind her you are her mom, and NOT her girlfriend!!
- THE “YOUR GONNA WANNA KISS” CONVERSATION: As your daughter ages, she is going to want to kiss! My daughter never will, just your daughters!! Not mine!! If I keep telling myself this, just maybe it will come true. As soon as your daughter starts growing hair in strange places, getting zits on her face, starts her (well you know) you will see this young lady emerge that you never knew existed!! She will cry, get angry and go boy crazy! Mom’s, your job is NOT to encourage your daughters to explore and feel her way through this boy thing! She needs a Godly mother that will recognize her desires! A Godly mother that understands why she is all hot and bothered! A Godly mother that will validate her desires! A Godly mother that will teach her that just because she wants to date, kiss, snuggle and round first base that this is not God’s best! For more information on this subject, check out some of the posts below…
- THE “COVER YOUR CRACKER” CONVERSATION: I am sick of seeing underage bra straps, thongs and exposed crackers! Moms, teach your daughters the lost form of modesty, self respect and honor. But I guess if she sees you dressing this way…
- THE “HE JUST WANTS IN YOUR PANTS” CONVERSATION: I hate to even have to say this one, but this is a conversation that every mom needs to have with her daughter. So growing up, I was a pretty good kid. I loved Jesus, was always at youth group and tried my best to live out my faith. But… But I really liked girls, A LOT!! I remember dreaming up who I was going to invite over just so I could cop a feel and grind! And remember, I was a good kid. Mom’s, you have to take the time to teach your daughters, that just because he is a good kid, that just because he seems to love Jesus…there is still a good chance that he just wants in your pants.
What is 1 conversation that you need to have with your daughter?
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- THE “TREAT A GIRL LIKE A LADY” CONVERSATION: I believe that every mom should teach their boys that young ladies are God’s creation, God’s daughters and deserve to be treated like royalty. Mom’s should teach their sons to open doors, say “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am”, allow ladies to choose first, say what can I do for you today, how can I pray for you today, and the list goes on… Typically dads are encouraged to have this conversation, I just think it carries so much more weight when a mom takes the time to teach her son how to treat her and other ladies.
- THE “HARNESS YOUR POWER” CONVERSATION: I have overheard Jodie talking to our older son and encouraging him to harness his power. Cole can become too rough when it comes to playing with his brother and sister, so it is important that he is taught to honor and respect his brother and sister by harnessing his power when playing with them.
- THE “BE A BOY – NOT A MAN” CONVERSATION: Our youngest son, Tifton Jackhammer, is only 10 years old and he is growing up way too fast!! Tifton is starting to play grown up video games, watch grown up movies, listen to grown up music and he is starting to think grown up thoughts. However, one day last week I loved watching him sit in his room and play with legos for several hours. After watching him play like a little kid, I was convinced that moms need to teach their boys to be little boys…for a long, long time. Your sons will eventually have to deal with rejection, not getting picked for the sports team, not having a girl friend and seeing pornographic images at a friends house, but for now…let’s keep the little boy in your little boy!!
- THE “GODLY MEN ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY” CONVERSATION: If you look around the world we live in, you will see men making a mass exodus from church, Godliness and holiness. I hate it, but Godly and spiritual men are becoming a rarity! Today you see more and more women leading family devotions, volunteering at church and fighting for the purity in their son’s lives. Due to this alarming exodus, I think that moms must teach their sons to start laying a foundation of spiritual leadership in their lives today!
- THE “LET’S PRAY FOR YOUR MATE” CONVERSATION: Yeah, yeah, yeah…I don’t want my kiddos to start thinking about this either!! The truth is that it will be here before you know it, and there is no better person than mom to start having this conversation. I believe all moms should teach their sons what kind of mate they should be looking for. I also believe that if mom’s start praying this prayer with their sons at a young age…they will earn the right to speak into this in the future.
Which 1 of theses conversations do you need to have with your son?
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