Do You Ever Wonder?

Do you ever wonder what your children think?  Do you ever wonder about what they will become?  Who they'll marry?  What kind of a parent they'll be? 

What do they think about God?  About Jesus or His church?

A few days ago I was working on a Bible teacher's workshop lesson. I came across a sermon about parenting.  It asked a few questions that made me think about our family and specifically about our children and their future.  I decided to make up a questionnaire for them to fill out.  As I explained to them that I wanted them to fill them out, I also told them that it was something I would have them repeat each year as long as they lived at home.

Since the youngest is eight, he didn't understand all of the questions, so he just answered what he understood.  The 12, 14, and 16 year old answered them all.  Here are the questions:

What do you think about growing up in your family?

Are you content with your place in the family – as first child, middle child, or youngest?

Do you think we (your parents) are fair? Why or why not?

What do you think about the discipline in our family?

What does it mean to respect someone?

Do you respect yourself?  If so, how? If not, why not?

What would you change about your family if you could?

In what ways do you want your own family to be the same or different?

What do you believe about God?

What do you believe about Jesus?

What do you believe about the church?

Could you see yourself ever becoming unfaithful to God, Jesus, or the church?  Why or why not?

Do you believe that the choices you make in your life - such as who you will marry or what career you choose - can make a difference in your attitude/faithfulness to God, Jesus, or the church?  Why or why not?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

After the questionnaires were completed, I read through each of their answers.  Later my husband read through them.  We both agreed that they were interesting because they were very honest about how they felt about every area, but they answered them just like we both would have hoped they would. That was kind of neat. I guess I kind of expected a few of them to "chide" us a bit or at least say something was wrong! And, who knows?  Next year they might!

I want each of our children to know they can be totally honest with us.  I want them to tell us exactly how they feel (in a respectful way, of course!). But most of all, I want them to be honest with God.  I want them to walk with Jesus.  I want them to remain faithful to Him.  That's what is most important.

So, do you ever wonder?  Do you ever wonder what your children think?  Ask them!  You never know what you might learn!