Be at Crossroads

I have been thinking lately about how important it is to be at the
crossroads of our children's lives. I watch our kids as they run in
and out of the house as if going through a circular door and it
seems like the years are passing right before my eyes. How
important it is to be there to give our child a hug and and "I love
you" as they head out to school. How equally important it is to be
there when they come home with a ready ear to hear about their day.

When I was a child, I remember sitting down next to my mom after
school or other events and giving her a running dialogue about what
had happened. When I was a little older I would go into her room
after dates and sit on the edge of her bed and give her the blow by
blow account. It really helped me to make wise choices when I knew
I would be giving a full report to my mother!"

I love this statement from my friend Valerie Chandler's Blog: "...
Often, it's the informal times when kids talk and you feel most
satisfied with your interactions. I can pepper my boys with
questions at the dinner table about what they learned at school or
church and they are mute, but it is obscure moments in the car, as
we work together, or when they are in bed at night that kids
confide and share. I am thinking that it is for that very reason
President Benson advised mothers to 'be at the crossroads.'"

This is so true! My thirteen year old daughter often confides in me
the usual teenage ups and downs -- school, friends, her secret
crush, humerous exchanges from kids at school, and embarrassing
moments. Many of these "talks" occur right when she gets home from
school during that bit of quiet time when the little ones are
sleeping and the boys are still at school.

Other conversations happen during spontaneous moments during the day
such as when we are cleaning the kitchen together or going somewhere
in the car. We can't always plan a special conversation with our
children -- many times they just happen -- IF we are in tune and
available. It is not just "quality time" time that is important, but
"quantity time" too, for that is when most quality time naturally
occurs.

Valerie shared a quote from President Benson which I would also
like to share: "...take time to always be at the crossroads when
your children are either coming or going--when they leave and
return from school--when they leave and return from dates--when
they bring friends home. Be there at the crossroads whether your
children are six or sixteen." (To the Mothers in Zion, President
Ezra Taft Benson Fireside for Parents 22 February 1987)

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