The Mouths Of Babes

Luke 2: 40, 46-47 NIV
And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him...After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.

I am regularly amazed at some of the conversations I have with my children! They see more than we, as adults, think they see and observe the world differently than we do. It can be intimidating for grown ups to engage in deep, philosophical conversations with kids. Admit it...the urge is there to give them a 'best guess' answer and try to get them to go away!

In that passage from Luke, young Jesus was engaging in discussion with the teachers. He was asking questions and delivering insights. You would think the teachers would be a little put off by that but it says there were amazed at him. I think we need to mimic the attitudes of those teachers. We can't be afraid to engage in meaningful conversations with youngsters, and we definitely don't need to try and pass junk answers off as fact. There isn't a thing wrong with saying you aren't sure but here is what you think. They'll appreciate your honesty and you can set about investigating the subject matter together!

God gave us a big responsibility to raise our children. They need to know how to think for themselves and develop a rational line of thought. They need to know how to back up their theories and arguments in the face of counter arguments. They need the room to explore any angle. Our job is to allow that to happen and to be an active part of the process.

Don't be afraid to talk to your kids. Encourage them to think for themselves instead of handing them the right answer. Tell them what you believe and why without forcing it on them. Your honesty combined with their freedom to explore will only serve to lend more credence to your line of thought. It will create a deeper and more meaningful relationship than you might have thought possible. It will allow both of you to see the world through the other's eyes.