Photo: CCO Public Domain

“I can decide for myself!”

Yes, you can. But have you considered all the factors

needed for you to make this adult decision?

How many times have you had a similar discussion with one of your adult kids?

Helping them with decisions is not easy or simple.

They are grown. Often they are married.

Sometimes they have children as well.

When they are young and at home, it is much easier

To manage your children’s decisions…or influence them strongly.

But as they mature,

They need to make their own decisions.

“Will I chose the values I grew up with?

If not all of them, which ones will I keep?

Which ones will I toss?”

They ask themselves.

It sounds like these decisions are cerebral

But in reality,

They are usually matters of the heart!               stop

It is not easy to decide to go in a different

Direction from people you love.

Or if not a different direction,

At least a tweaked one.

Even with similar values,

We marry people who bring a different background

And some different emphases.

Our new family looks different from the one where we grew up.

That’s why it is important to teach your child

The importance of attaching to Christ

For her faith.

Instead of making it an issue of it being tied

Simply to your family traditions.

As our children grow to adulthood,

We learn the importance of praying for them

Even more than when they are young.

Now they have marriages and children.

Jobs to distract them as well as life and responsibilities.

They need our prayers even more in adulthood.

Yes, we can tell them what we think.

But we need to be judicious with our opinions.

Particularly if they are based on our personal preferences.

Once again, we need to decide whether the luxury of sharing

Our opinion is worth the price we might pay.