Please Speak into the Mic
Art Linkletter captured the hearts of millions 35 years ago when he tried something on television that no one else was doing--asking children questions. He carved out a niche for himself and fascinated his audience by giving children the microphone while the adults sat back and listened.
Linkletter summed up his motivation in his book Kids Say the Darnedest Things: "There's a vast gulf between the world of children and our own. And every time we bridge that gulf--even if it's only for a moment--we capture some of the freshness and sponteneity that make life worth living."
Questions are one of the most effective yet perhaps most underused tools in a parents' toolbox today. Just five minutes of expressing interest in your child will do more to build your relationship with him/her than five months of trying to get her/him interested in you.
Excerpt from Now We're Talking: Questions That Bring You Closer to Your Kids by Robert C. Crosby. The author gives numerous examples of great questions you can ask your preschoolers, grade-schoolers, and teenagers. Also, be sure to check out Crosby's companion book Now We're Talking: Questions to Build Intimacy with Your Spouse. Both books are published by Focus on the Family.
In the spirit of Art Linkletter, you're invited to comment on the following...
1. Please tell me something about yourself that I might be surprised by.
2. Have you ever felt uncomfortable in a Christian group?
3. If you knew the world would end at midnight and Christ would return, what would you do differently today?
Photo Courtesy of Fabi Dorighello (Flickr)
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2 Comments:
1. I can touch my nose with my tongue.
2. Yes, I have often felt uncomfortable in Christian groups. But then, I have also often felt uncomfortable in non-Christian groups. My husband has been a big help in this area by teaching me to have the initiative to ask others questions...making them more comfortable, which in turn makes me more comfortable.
3. I would be so excited...but then shouldn't we believe this could be and might be today. What I would do different. Not an exact answer to your question, but close to your intended meaning I think.
laurie, you've made my day! Can you really touch your nose with your tongue? (That was my Mom's great claim to fame too.) How often do you demonstrate your "talent?"
It sounds like you have "small talk" mastered. And I'm glad you'd be excited about Jesus return... to me, an awesome thought.
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