How to Take Advantage of Teachable Moments

 

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Begin with the end in mind”? 

 

This phrase has become one that I think about daily, and something that guides how I approach most situations in life. 

 

The idea is that in everything you do you should have a goal or a trajectory in mind.  As human beings if we don’t set goals before trying to achieve something it is very easy to drift.  It’s very easy to get further away from our goals than to reach them. 

So what would it look like if you asked this question about the conversations that you have with your children?  What would it look like if you took advantage of every teachable moment – knowing that you had an end in mind? 

 

Have you ever thought about your strategy for passing along your values to your child and for influencing your child to make good decisions? One effective strategy for parents is to take advantage of “teachable moments.”  

A “teachable moment” is any opportunity that presents itself, where you see values being presented or decisions being made.  

The possibility for creating teachable moments is virtually unlimited. These can appear from a television program, a news report, a movie, conversation at the dinner table, the pastor’s last sermon, a book, situations happening at home, work, school, and so on.

Here are four steps to help you begin with the end in mind and make the most of your teachable moments:

 

1.    Identify your goal.

Meaningful teachable moments rarely just happen. You can’t ask your child: “What did you think of that movie?” and expect the question to blossom into a wonderful learning experience.

You need to identify your goal. For example, what issue(s), value(s), or decision(s) do you want to discuss with your child that you noticed from the movie? Once you’ve identified the goal, then you can better facilitate a conversation that focuses on that issue, value, or decision.

2.    Think ahead.

When you identify a potential teachable moment, you’ll need to think ahead for the types of questions you can ask that will help your child process the topic of the discussion, trying to move them toward some kind of personal application.

 

3.    Be patient.

If you aren’t currently having regular meaningful conversations with your child, be ready to face some resistance when you begin using a “teachable moments” strategy. Be patient. Your openness, vulnerability, and perseverance will likely begin to pay off in the long run.

 

4.    Don’t go overboard.

Maintain a balance between taking advantage of teachable moments and simply living life together with your child.

Not every conversation has to be targeted as a teachable moment. Class doesn’t need to be in session 24/7. Your kids will grow weary and might even withdraw from conversations with you if they sense every moment spent together comes attached with a life lesson.

 

I hope that beginning “with the end in mind” will help you be more proactive with the teaching moments that God gives you with your child.

 

Jesus once told his friends, to be “Shrewd like snakes, but innocent like doves”.  It’s my hope that you will find using teachable moments with your child will help you live out this tricky balance.   How amazing will the moments be when you are helping your child shape their values and beliefs and they just think they are hanging out with mom and dad!

5 Ways To Reduce Stress

I don’t know about you, but if there is one thing I need less of in my life it’s stress.  Our families may have many differences but one thing I am sure we would all agree on is our families need more calm and less stress! 

The unbelievable pace we try to live at in our culture is becoming more and more destructive for families.  But we are not prisoners to this breakneck pace.  There is something that can be done about the stress you and your family experiences.

 

 

A lot of stress can be reduced and even removed if you are willing to make some tough choices, and take control over your schedule.

Here are 5 choices that your family can make to reduce your day to day stress.

 

1.      Tame Your Environment.

Make your home a safe, calm refuge from the madness going on in the outside world.  Don’t allow your home environment to grow wild, instead tame it.  Don’t overreact to circumstances of daily home life.  Of course, many issues at home need to be addressed, but when you get angry or frustrated, it’s easy to overreact.  Make the hard choice to cool down in a frustrating situation.  Let the stress levels fall and then deal with the issues at hand.  You will come to find that when you everyone in your family chooses to cool off, most issues aren’t really issues at all.

 

2.      Get Spiritual. 

It may seem like no-brainer.  But when our schedules get busy and things feel out of control the first thing we usually cut is our time with God.  We may think that Sunday Sermons are enough.  But when we cut God out of our daily routine we are making a decision to allow chaos to take over.  Instead of letting time with God slip – set aside time to “get spiritual”.  Make time for God everyday your number one priority.   Set this example and expectation for your family.  When you see things daily from God’s perspective you will focus on what matters and not stress out about what doesn’t.

 

3.      Sweat it Out. 

It’s a scientific fact that people who regularly exercise and eat a balanced diet have less stress than those that don’t.  Make the decision to reduce stress by finding a normal exercise routine.  Join a gym, go to Zumba, play basketball with your kids a couple times a week.  Make the decision to ensure that everyone in your family gets plenty of rest, exercise, and a healthy diet.

 

4.      Be Intentional About Relationships.

 

In our crazy world we are told that things are more important than people.  But the reality is the most important things in this world are the things you carry with you, but the people that carry you through this life.  None are more important than your immediate family. Our families give us with relational connections that will get us through both good times and bad. You know it’s true that when your relationships at home are stressed or strained, everything else in your world is out of alignment.   Set aside time to have meaningful discussions.  Don’t avoid conflict; instead find a healthy way to resolve the issues in your family.

 

5.      Be Flexible. 

The reality is that no family is exempt from hard times in life. Some families experience brief “moments” or hardship while others endure “seasons.”  How we choose to respond to the hard times is what determines if stress will do lasting damage on our family.  Stay flexible when the tough times – do your best to navigate uncharted waters together. 

  

 

In the end, your family’s stress levels have a lot to do with your own choices. You can choose to let busyness, over-commitment, and hard times take their toll on your family, or you can proactively make choices to reduce and eliminate the stress your family experiences. Make the choice today to be more intentional about how you direct your family in this often chaotic world we live in.  Make the choice today to be different and reduce the str