Keswick 24: Hope-filled conversations with our children

We were off to the zoo! My four young children were in the car, we’d waved Dad off to work, the buggy and picnic were packed. As we reached the motorway, a little voice, full of worry, asked: ‘Where are we going and how long for?’ In all my preparation I’d missed a key moment – I hadn’t talked to the children! Four little people had no idea what was happening.

For one little boy, for whom all the events of moving from foster care to his new adoptive home was a conscious memory, this was a problem. He was understandably worried that he was leaving home and might not see Dad again. Without his question, I might have missed what was going on. Instead, my awareness of my son’s heart meant I could wrap him in a hug and say: ‘You are our little boy, God has given you to us and us to you, you are home with us.’

Our children are sponges, picking up information all the time and drawing conclusions – which might not be right. They notice what is going on, hear what others say and are influenced by what they watch. The good news is that, as parents, we can be the biggest influence on our children. And as Christians, we have a better story to share – we can point our children to our Heavenly Father who truly knows all things, and share the truth of His word.