Family Discussions

I know, as a father of 6, that starting discussions on important issues can be difficult.
Here are some key things that I found that may help when having discussions with your children.
As always, I am not "preaching", I am trying to help not only someone who reads this, but myself as well.

With the below "clipped" comments, here are some questions that may help you engage your family and crack open the door to discernment:

• What is it about this form of entertainment that attracts you? Why do you like this particular style/genre/show more than others?
• Why do you listen or watch? (If it’s simply because friends do, ask, “Why do your friends listen to or watch it?”)
• How does this form of entertainment make you feel?
• Do the themes reflect reality? Do they reflect truth? If they reflect reality do they also gloss over evil?
• How do the messages conveyed compare with the values you’ve been taught here at home, or in church?
• Do you think these messages have any effect on how close you feel to your family, friends or God? Why or why not?
• Would you feel comfortable if Jesus sat here listening to or watching this with you? (See Matt. 28:20) Do you think He’d care? What do you think He’d say about this particular entertainment title?
• Does this entertainment have an opinion of God? What is it?
• What would happen if you imitated the lifestyles and choices of the characters in these songs or this program?
• Is there inappropriate entertainment? Where would you draw the line? Where does scripture draw the line? Are they the same?
• How does it make you feel to know that, by purchasing a CD, going to a movie or watching a TV show, etc., you are supporting the morals and ideas that it’s promoting?
• What are the major, minor and subtle messages being conveyed through this entertainment? Do you agree or disagree with them?
• Do you think some people might take the messages literally? What could that lead to?

clipped from www.pluggedinonline.com Be a good listener. listening is not the same as agreeing. It is a demonstration of respect for another person’s feelings and ideas, not an endorsement of them. Carry on a conversation, not an argument. James 1:19 states, “quick to hear and slow to speak,” we need to set the example. Don’t resort to sarcasm. we tend to reap what we sow. When sarcasm comes back at us from our teens, we probably accuse them of being disrespectful. Don’t use silence as a weapon. the absence of a positive message can sometimes be as damaging as the presence of a negative one. Refuse to be patronizing. Deal constructively with anger. Anger can be verbally expressed with respect when it’s aimed at specific behavior or the issue in question. “We need to honor God in our home” will get you further than “Are you blind? Choose battles carefully. As your child moves through and out of the teen years, “rules” should be slowly giving way to “advice.”