Have you ever been in or to a play before? If so you know the importance of stage preparation. Someone’s job is to make sure props are functioning and appropriately placed, lighting and sound are working: and not to mention the obvious, making sure the stage is even safe to stand on.
Setting the stage for our family is no different. You as the parent, are the “someone…”.
What do expectant parents do? They spend months preparing homes, gadgets, schedules, cars etc. for the arrival of their little one. They are setting the stage.
Pre-school parents rehearse for weeks what their little ones schedules’ will be like, adjusting home routines to ease the transition into this phase. That’s setting the stage.
How many times have you early elementary parents spied out “play-mates”, glued your fingers together for projects, and checked out coaches and teachers “for the right fit”? You were setting the stage.
Parents of tween-agers seemingly make constant adjustments to accommodate their tweens as they maneuver through mood swings from total reliance to total rebellion. You were -surviving! (just kidding). You are definitely setting and making the stage safe.
I applaud all of you for how you set the stage for your child(ren) to succeed. But, I also challenge you to be even more intentional in 2019 about how and why you are setting the stage for your family.
A FEW Suggestions:
- Periodically assess the “vibe” in your home. Is there lots of laughter and up-lifting conversation or is there shouting, or as my daughter puts it, no talking for real – for real? Ask yourself if you need to change the vibe?
- Have discussions with the fam about how your family connects: are you sports, arts, history, nature, enthusiasts?
- Use these family discussion times to spark conversations about the Nature of God.
- ask interesting questions: how do we see God in sports? etc.,
- Intentionally seek other families to:
- help you “set the stage” for your family
- that you can help “set the stage” for their family
Keep Living Out Loud,
in HIM, terry