Write a note to each of your children today. Tell them what you most appreciate about them, remind them of your favorite memories together at Christmas, and express dreams you have for them in their futures.

As we speak to our kids, we need to be careful to speak kindly, and without condemnation. We need to have a voice of compassion, not of anger. We don’t finger-point and communicate that our teens are worthless when they do wrong, but we instead must demonstrate our love in creative ways.
 
Our voice needs to sound like the voice of Christ as we communicate our ideals, values and faith. We need to step out of a defensive position and get offensive in terms of creatively engaging our teens in deep thought so they at least have to consider what we say instead of simply dismissing us. Is this not what Jesus did with His parables, stories and object lessons? He made people think through the issues of life, with faith and the Creator God as a backdrop. They had to wrestle with their faith and their own connection to God, based on the stories He told.

We need to do the same thing with our teenagers. Rather than condemning our sons and daughters for their mistakes, we need to start nurturing their walk with God. We cannot try to engage the matters of the heart from a cerebral perspective only; our voices must be loving, creative and potent so that the message goes to the heart. This in turn will help shape their opinions, actions, habits, and ultimately their destiny.