the fruit of intentional conversation

Sometimes when you're a parent, life comes to a screeching halt. Whether it's something major or minor, having kids in your life can foil your best laid plans.

Tonight, after saying good-night to both kids, I set about the house to get all those pesky little chores taken care of so I could sit and relax just for a bit: dishes, sweeping the kitchen floor, straightening up the family room, doing one last load of laundry. I had a blog post or two that needed to be written and maybe an episode or two of a Netflix show to watch.

As I got started on the chore list, my Jayne called me from her room. Thinking it was just a quick snuggle she needed, I headed upstairs. 

Nope! Turns out she needed to have a couple of deep conversations, tears and all. When those conversations happen, I grab ahold of the opportunity to speak to my girl's heart and give it as much time as I need to teach her whatever God has in mind for me to teach. 

When she calls me upstairs to have these conversations, I feel blessed. My daughter wants to share her heart with me. She is not afraid to have difficult conversations with me. I have worked hard to create that open door of conversation with her and am grateful for the times when I see it pay off. Someday she's going to be a teenager and the conversations are going to be even more difficult. I hope with my whole heart that she will still call me up to her room to chat about the tough stuff. You better believe that I'm going to keep working at it so she will!

Intentional conversation: probably one of the best pieces of advice I have ever received in raising a strong-willed child. But I believe that it is valuable for every child. Even my son comes to me with questions all the time about subjects that I would think are beyond him. These little minds are constantly thinking and trying to figure out life. Taking the time to talk with them and explain the "whys" and the "hows" helps them understand life a little more. And I think when you understand, then life seems a little less scary and a little easier to manage.

(Need a little more help understanding this "intentional conversation" thing? Stay tuned this week...)

Tonight's subjects with Jayne were pretty awesome. I see about 5 different blog posts from this conversation alone. 

The floors can stay dirty until tomorrow....

(Me with a couple of cute goofballs!)

KC