Just leave me alone!

This seemed to be a repeated pattern when my kids were little. I remember trying to find a moment of peace and quiet—you know a few extra moments in the bathroom—but they always seemed to find me…Just leave me alone! One baby in my arms – crying. One child on my leg – whining. Another child playing in the other room — yelling. Me in the kitchen – trying to make dinner. Cue phone ringing, dirty diaper, pot boiling over….

8 years later and the kids don’t always need me

Fast forward 8 years and my house is quiet. One in her room playing. One playing basketball outside. One reading a book in the living room.

I suddenly realized that my kids had stopped following me around. They didn’t need me every second of the day. They didn’t even notice when I had slipped away for a few moments. And instead of feeling relieved I felt just a little worried, a little worried about how much more time I have to pass on to them the most important things in life.

Time is slipping away. It is time to be intentional

When I thought about wanting to pass on the most important thing in life—faith in Jesus—I started realizing I was going to need to get a lot more intentional.

I bought stools (real purpose-sit and chat while I worked in the kitchen)This is what I did for the next stage in my parenting journey:

• I created a weekly chore to help me make dinner (real purpose-a half hour a week spent working together and talking)
• I decided to take them for a treat anytime I got time alone with them (real purpose-one on one chat without interruptions)

Little opportunities popped up!

Intentional spiritual conversations look different at every stage of our children’s lives and they look different in every family. After all, every stage of parenting and every family comes with its own messiness and challenges. What we can all do at any stage is intentionally think through what our hopes are for our kids—what do we want our kids faith to be like in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years? What are the things I can do right now to intentionally nurture their faith and love for Jesus?And I started praying for opportunities for some intentional spiritual conversations. In the middle of eating breakfast at the stools, learning to cook or drinking hot chocolate at Starbucks we have talked about video games, sports, school, friends, and sometimes through those conversations, I get little opportunities to point my kids to the greatest source of comfort, hope and help they could find—Jesus.

Moving forward

Want to know more about intentionally leading your family to follow Jesus?

1. Talk to a friend further along in the parenting journey. Most of my best ideas come from someone who has gone before me.
2. Read a book: My favorite book on this topic is The Sticky Guide for my Family by Kara Powell.
3. Check out the SRU Course: Discipleship at Home. This workshop will explore the influence parents can have on their children’s faith and practical ideas to lead your family to love and follow Jesus. We will talk about how to be intentional within the uniqueness of your own family dynamics.