Training Week: Day 1 Post 3: Listening goes both ways
Weâve been talking about training our children to listen. But now we have to ask: Are we listening too? Some of us want our children to listen the first time, but we donât listen until they fall apart. We donât listen when they say theyâre tired.We donât listen when their body is overstimulated.We donât listen when their behavior is trying to communicate something.We donât listen when the room is already too loud.We donât listen when our child is asking for connection.We donât listen when Holy Spirit is telling us to pause.We donât listen when God is correcting our tone.We donât listen when our spouse or support system says, âYouâre doing too much.â We keep saying, âMy child doesnât listen.â But sometimes God is asking: âDo you?â And Iâm not saying this to shame anyone Iâm saying it because parents need training too. We cannot train listening while modeling ignoring. If your child keeps melting down at the same time every day, listen to the pattern. If your teen keeps shutting down when you start lecturing, listen to the room. If your toddler keeps acting out when youâre on your phone, listen to the need. If your child keeps saying, âYou never hear me,â donât dismiss it because theyâre young. Listen. Listening does not mean the child becomes the leader. It means the parent gathers wisdom before responding. And yes, parents need consequences too. Not punishment. Consequences. If you keep yelling, the consequence may be that you need to pause and apologize. If you keep ignoring your childâs emotions, the consequence may be that you need to sit down and repair. If you keep scrolling instead of being present, the consequence may be putting your phone away during certain hours. If you keep disciplining from anger, the consequence may be stepping away before correction. If you keep ignoring Holy Spiritâs warning in your chest, the consequence may be repentance. Because kingdom parenting is not just about getting our children under control. It is about submitting ourselves to God too.