I'm glad that every summer we have taken a family vacation together-nothing expensive, but just time together, camping, seeing God's beautiful creation. It's gone by too quickly, but we share some warm memories that bind us together. One of the most important things you can do for your children is to give them your time and to enjoy being with them. They also sense when you genuinely like them and enjoy their company. Even though what they want at the moment may not be an important issue, if you express a welcome response, it can open the way for communicating at other times on more important things, such as spiritual values and character issues.
Influence is imparted through time together, genuinely enjoying their company.
I see so many parents, even in Christian families, and especially dads, who destroy their relationships with their kids by being perpetually angry. I've seen people in public places talk to their children in ways that wouldn't be appropriate for correcting your dog. The Bible commands us to put off such rotten speech, and instead use words that build up others. In other words, we parents need to confront and deal with our own anger before God if we want to rear our children properly. Yes, of course, I remember.