• our children crave to be noticed by us and crave our attention
• special time with each child develops their self-esteem and their ability to relate to others
• can be difficult for us as parents to recognize this need and to fulfill it
• the more children we have, the more planning and conscious effort it takes
• channels of communication are opened through spending one-on-one time with our child(ren)
• can transform a child’s behavior
eye contact:
• can be used either positively or negatively
• children learn by modeling - if we do it, they'll do it
• easy when they are babies - but don't give up eye contact as they get older
• good eye contact goes hand in hand with active listening
Question: Do you have fond memories of 1:1 time with a parent? What memories can you create with your children one on one?
never too soon to start (see the account of John the Baptist in the womb in Luke 1:44, The Bible)
never too late to start (see the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15: 11-24, The Bible)
turn fears and longings into prayers
when to pray:
with them before they go to sleep
teaching them to pray (thank you, sorry, please)
on our own
with others
in traffic jams or when cleaning up or ironing
when prompted (often at moments of potential danger or temptation for our child)
everyday
what to pray for:
friendships
schools
their health
their safety
their marriage partner (most children will marry one day and their marriage partner may well already be alive somewhere)
their response to God’s love
their characters – use the fruit of the Spirit as a list to pray through: love. joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians 5: 22-23, The Bible)
pray with them, particularly at bedtime
pray for yourselves as parents
Take some time to pray for your child(ren), and plan to make it a regular routine. Our Christianity 101 Course may help you explore the topic of prayer, God and Christianity in more depth.
