Street-smart or Safe?

Spread the love

Street-smart or safe? As a parent, do you often feel like you’re caught between the two options you want for your child?

On one hand, you want your children to be intelligent; understanding what is going on in their culture, so that they can make wise decisions and not be caught off guard.

But you also want to protect them from so much of the evil that surrounds all of us each and every day.

We want our kids to talk to us and feel we are a safe place; no issue is off limits. Yet, when we know things that are unsafe for them, we want to protect them and keep them from long term ramifications. 
 
Friend, you are not alone in your struggle! In my relationship with my three kids, communication is the number one thing that has been the key factor. It has also been what has either drawn us together or distanced us.
 
Here is what works for our family: talk openly about what is taking place in culture. Be aware and let your kids know that you are aware.
 
Then dialog.
 
This isn’t a time for laying down rules or telling them what they should and shouldn’t do. This is the time for hearing their take on what is happening, how they think they should respond and what their actions will be when confronted. When we listen, we empower. Our hearing ear says, “I believe you have what it takes to make it.”
 
 
If we fail to move from parent to life coach during the tremulous teen season, we loose communication, and we  loose relationship. Yes, there are still times for us to say “no” to things that are detrimental to them, but these times should be the exception not the rule. It is time, before they leave the nest permanently, to figure out this thing called life while we are still here to help them up.
 
How do you communicate with your child about tough issues? Do you feel that the two of you are open about what is going on in her world?
Lynn Cowell
Follow at:
Latest posts by Lynn Cowell (see all)
Share