Parents and Children: Listening, Learning, and Loving ~ Part One

   Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post is focuses on a New Era article from February 2011 and it is called, "Parents and Children: Listening, Learning, and Loving" by Elder M. Russell Ballard. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the article and I hope you will learn something new while you are reading this post.

Elder Ballard has mentioned, "To Fathers and Sons, Young men, you are your father’s pride and joy. In you they see a promising future and their hope for a better, improved version of themselves. Your accomplishments are a joy to them. Your worries and problems are their worries and problems.

Sons

1. Trust your father.
He is not perfect, but he loves you and would never do anything he didn’t think was in your best interest. So talk to him. Share your thoughts and feelings, your dreams and your fears. The more he knows about your life, the better chance he has to understand your concerns and to give you good counsel. .. Your Dad wants more than anything for you to be happy and successful, ..

2. Take an interest in your father’s life.
Ask about his job, his interests, his goals. How did he decide to do the work that he does? What was he like when he was your age? How did he meet your mother? Think about what you don’t know about him and find out. Your love, admiration, and understanding will increase by what you learn.

3. Ask your father for advice.
Let’s be honest: he is probably going to give you his advice whether you ask for it or not, but it just works so much better when you ask! .. Nothing shows respect for another person as much as asking for his advice, because what you are really saying is, “I appreciate what you know and the experiences you have had, and I value your ideas and suggestions.”

"Children desperately need parents
willing to listen to them." - M. Russell Ballard.

Fathers

1. Listen to your sons, really listen to them.
Ask the right kind of questions, and listen to what your sons have to say each time you have a few minutes together. You need to know not to guess but to know what is going on in your son’s life. Your sons live in a very different world from the one in which you grew up. As they share with you what’s going on, you will have to listen very carefully and without being judgmental in order to understand what they are thinking and experiencing.

2. Pray with and for your sons.
Give them priesthood blessings. A son who is worried about a big exam or a special event will surely benefit from a father’s priesthood blessing. .. One-on-one prayer and the sharing of testimonies can draw you closer to each other as well as closer to the Lord.

3. Dare to have the “big talks” with your sons.
You know what I mean: talks about drugs and drinking, about the dangers of today’s media, the Internet, cyber technologies, and pornography and about priesthood worthiness, respect for girls, and moral cleanliness. While these should not be the only subjects you talk about with your sons, please don’t shy away from them. Your boys need your counsel, guidance, and input on these subjects.

I am especially concerned that we communicate openly and clearly with our sons about sexual matters. Your sons simply cannot avoid the blatant sexual imagery, messages, and enticements that are all around them. Be positive about how wonderful and beautiful physical intimacy can be when it happens within the bounds the Lord has set, including temple covenants and commitments of eternal marriage." 

Stay Tuned until next time.