Do you remember those days when your kids constantly asked, "Why?" "Why do the birds sing, Mommy?" "Why did he do that, Daddy?" Most kids go through the "why" stage at some point and it seems like it will never end.
As parents, we learn to roll our eyes at those endless "why" questions.
(Where do you think our kids learn to roll their eyes, anyway?) But there comes an age where we get to turn the tables on this question series, and watch our children go through what we did when they were younger.
There is a point in their lives when we need to ask them endless "why" questions, but for a specific purpose.
Before your kids go off to college, one of your goals should be to train them to live independently.
They need to know how to manage their money, balance a checkbook, do their laundry, clean a room, clean a bathroom, and more.
But as parents, we also need to be preparing our children to think independently.
They need to know what they believe, what's important to them, what their values are, and why.
In college, all that they know and value will be challenged at some point.
Not necessarily because they will find college difficult or personally be challenged; they may or may not.
They will find some aspects of it challenging because they will encounter other students whose ideas and backgrounds are different from their own.
They will be exposed to good and bad new ideas, good and bad of course being determined by their own values and expectations of life.
Knowing why they believe what they do becomes critical at this point.
But we cannot send them off to college to figure this out on the spot.
We must train them to be able to articulate their thoughts, express their reasons, and defend their position.
This happens over time, but it begins in the home, and long before they leave for college.
Typically, this type of thinking begins to be possible for most students sometime late in middle school.
So it's at that point that parents can begin to have a little fun, and turn the tables on their kids.
When you feel your children are ready, it's important to being the "why" game in reverse.
Ask them why they are doing what they are doing, what they think about new situations and why they think that.
Teach them to develop their arguments and line of thought experientially.
This is a much more meaningful approach than creating hypothetical situations.
Engage them in real live, doing real living, but help them to get at the "whys" for their actions and beliefs.
This will also be an opportunity to direct them into deeper understanding, to share teaching and time together, but if you allow them to express their reasoning as well as hear yours, you will find that their ability to defend an argument and to articulate their reasoning improves.
This is part of the natural college preparation process, and part of preparing your kids for adulthood.
Have fun with this, but turn the tables on your kids and endlessly ask them "why" for awhile.
It's only fair, right?
As parents, we learn to roll our eyes at those endless "why" questions.
(Where do you think our kids learn to roll their eyes, anyway?) But there comes an age where we get to turn the tables on this question series, and watch our children go through what we did when they were younger.
There is a point in their lives when we need to ask them endless "why" questions, but for a specific purpose.
Before your kids go off to college, one of your goals should be to train them to live independently.
They need to know how to manage their money, balance a checkbook, do their laundry, clean a room, clean a bathroom, and more.
But as parents, we also need to be preparing our children to think independently.
They need to know what they believe, what's important to them, what their values are, and why.
In college, all that they know and value will be challenged at some point.
Not necessarily because they will find college difficult or personally be challenged; they may or may not.
They will find some aspects of it challenging because they will encounter other students whose ideas and backgrounds are different from their own.
They will be exposed to good and bad new ideas, good and bad of course being determined by their own values and expectations of life.
Knowing why they believe what they do becomes critical at this point.
But we cannot send them off to college to figure this out on the spot.
We must train them to be able to articulate their thoughts, express their reasons, and defend their position.
This happens over time, but it begins in the home, and long before they leave for college.
Typically, this type of thinking begins to be possible for most students sometime late in middle school.
So it's at that point that parents can begin to have a little fun, and turn the tables on their kids.
When you feel your children are ready, it's important to being the "why" game in reverse.
Ask them why they are doing what they are doing, what they think about new situations and why they think that.
Teach them to develop their arguments and line of thought experientially.
This is a much more meaningful approach than creating hypothetical situations.
Engage them in real live, doing real living, but help them to get at the "whys" for their actions and beliefs.
This will also be an opportunity to direct them into deeper understanding, to share teaching and time together, but if you allow them to express their reasoning as well as hear yours, you will find that their ability to defend an argument and to articulate their reasoning improves.
This is part of the natural college preparation process, and part of preparing your kids for adulthood.
Have fun with this, but turn the tables on your kids and endlessly ask them "why" for awhile.
It's only fair, right?