If there is any tension among your family members, seek forgiveness and reconciliation today. When you humble yourself, your son or daughter will be more likely to open up to you.

A teenager is going to talk to somebody about what’s going on in his or her heart. The question is, Will it be you? If it’s not you, will it be someone with far less wisdom? Will he or she go to a peer? Studies show that most kids join gangs because they’re looking for the closeness of family that they don’t get at

Your kid’s heart will be vulnerable to those who are listening to them. Is she sharing her heart online on Facebook? It’s tragic when a kid blogs his or her pain for all the world to see because mom and dad, sitting 10 yards away from where the child sits typing away, are too busy to listen. If you haven’t had a heart-to-heart talk with your kids in a while, you need to find out who they’re sharing their heart with. But do it in a very subtle way. Start creating opportunities to show tangible love so that perhaps the window to their heart will be opened to you once again.

Remember when I said that parenting requires sacrifice? Every time you have a late-night conversation with your teenager, you are sending a positive message, and a window to his or her heart starts to creak open. Your tangible interest and love is what draws your child’s heart toward your own. That’s what you want above all else. Because whoever your children open up to are the ones who will have the most influence on shaping their heart and life. If you know that you have wronged your children by maybe attacking their personality or yelling unnecessarily, do not hesitate to come to them seeking forgiveness. When your kids see that you are able to admit your imperfections, they will let their guard down and admit their imperfections as well.