| A Connected Family |  |
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| Recent studies point out the importance of family members loving one another and feeling connected to each other. Sounds like a statement of the obvious, doesn’t it? While it is, it’s also obvious that there are many homes plagued by a serious lack of connectedness. It’s very easy to allow good things to deprive us of better things. And the best things in life are even more frequently short-changed by less important things. Most of us have probably been directed to list the top three or four things of greatest importance to us. Many find family high on that list, who have to honestly say that their use of time fails to reflect that level of importance.
How do we change? Saying “No” to some activities is the starting point. Determining which ones get that response will require some soul-searching prioritizing. That’s why most of us just keep on doing the same things over and over–we don’t like the difficult work of self-examination and having to put forth the effort needed to change our well-worn ruts. Our families will suffer until we learn to protect our time together. Our children will not receive the strong emotional heritage we want them to have unless we change. Few things could be more important for us to model before our children than guarding our time with our family. If we don’t, they likely won’t when they reach the age where they control more of their own schedule. Parents aren’t the only ones who have responsibility in this matter. Teens often choose to place other activities higher on their list of priorities, but often they are just practicing what’s been modeled in front of them. Create the best environment for them to make healthy decisions by making good ones yourself.
John Kenneth King |
From the Desk of John King 