EMAIL 1
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: More Than a Referee
Dear Parents,
As our kids move through the game of life, parents can often feel like a referee. There are fouls to call and boundaries to watch. If we want for our kids to really embrace and grow in their faith, we need to be more than a referee. We need to be “in the game” with them.
This month’s Online Parenting Class video will provide great encouragement for you and some practical tips, ideas, and resources on how to better lead/coach your kid’s spiritual growth journey. To watch the brief video, click the link below.
[ INSERT LINK TO ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]
Thanks for letting us be “in the game” with you as we all seek to help our kids grow in their faith. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.
In this alongside you,
[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]
EMAIL 2
Copy/ Paste this email into a browser and send it to parents.
Subject Line: Are You “In the Game?”
Dear Parents,
As parents, it’s often easy to sit in the stands and watch our kids move through life. Sure, we want to cheer them on, but there are times when we need to be more than their biggest fan. We need to be “in the game” with them.
In this month’s blog article, you’ll discover some practical tips on get off the sidelines and get in the game. Take a few minutes to check it out. You’ll be glad you did.
And don’t forget to check out this month’s Online Parenting Class video, where we give you some encouragement, tips, ideas, and resources on how you can do more than cheer your kids on but play in the game with them.
[ INSERT LINK TO M2P PARENTING BLOG ARTICLE ]
[ INSERT LINK TO M2P ONLINE PARENTING CLASS VIDEO ]
Hang in there and keep playing hard! Also, remember that we are always here for you if you need us.
Praying with you and for you, as you lead at home.
[ INSERT LEADER’S SIGNATURE HERE ]
Video Script
Whistle …… That’s a personal foul on Sally for pushing her brother! Oh wow, that’s a technical foul on Billy for biting Sally! That actually might be targeting!
When it comes to family life, do you sometimes feel like a referee? When our kids are small, and our house is busy, we sometimes spend all day long just calling fouls, keeping score, and trying to keep the game under control. The reality is that when we think about the mental, emotional, and spiritual growth and development of our kids, it’s a bigger game to care about, isn’t it? I recently heard a quote that I think applies to what I want to talk about. “Let’s not lose our kids to a world that isn’t playing fair with this generation. What we have to do is GET IN THE GAME!”
I don’t want to reduce the lives of our children to a game, but I think the analogy works. There is a game, and sometimes several games, that they have to play each and every day, and you and I, as parents, have to pay attention to the games that our kids are playing. There’s a game that is happening with their identity where they are trying to figure out who they are and where they belong. They play comparison games with their siblings, and their peers, and with the world. They sometimes play games with their faith. As they grow up, they learn the right things to say, and they can sometimes be involved with church just enough to make it look like they are serious about it all. And the way the world is influencing our kids is not fair! We could call a lot of fouls on that.
In order for our kids to be in the right game of life and faith, I would argue that we, as their parents, have to be so much more than referees; we have to be in the game with them. Now I’m not talking about the helicopter game where we hover and make sure everything is going well. But I do mean that we need to do more than be satisfied with just being in the stands and watching them play, but we need to be playing WITH them. In order for your kids to be “in the game,” you need to be “in the game” too.
We need to be in the game with our own faith. Too many parents send their kids to Sunday school and VBS, and other church events hoping that the church will lead their kids in the right direction. Well, I have to tell you that our kids see through that. If we are hoping that they will develop a real, authentic faith themselves, we have to model what a real, authentic faith looks like and make talking about faith a normal and natural part of life.
We also need to be in the game when it comes to the relationships we are building with our children. We need to go beyond just guiding them and teaching them the things we think they need to know, but we need to intentionally connect with them in order to deepen the relationships that we have together. We have to invest in them and give them time, and because our kids are so busy, we might sometimes need to adapt our schedules to fit into theirs. We also might need to walk away from the games or other things we do on our devices and not be distracted when we interact with our kids.
Finally, I think we need to be in the game with our church. As humans, we are wired for community, and we need to value being involved with the faith community of our church. Again, if we push our children to be involved in church, but we aren’t involved ourselves, in the long run, our actions will speak louder than our words, and they might not value being a part of a faith community.
So, what does it mean for you, as a parent to be “in the game” when it comes to the faith of your kids? Because you know what? You’re #1. You are, You are the #1 spiritual leader in your kids’ lives, so figure out how you can get in the game with them and not just be a spectator in the stands.