Take language for instance.
It use to be that my kids heard most of their swearing in church (thats another blog entry in itself). But at the skate park they regularly hear, or at least I hear, F-bombs all the time. There is other colorful language too: sh*t, oh my G-d, ass*ole and even regular, but strange words like "rapist."
So what is a father to do? I could stop taking my boys to the skate park. I could ignore it. I could explain it. I could do what one dad did today and yell at the kids saying it. But I know yelling would only prompt more cussing in my direction. So, I have taken a different route.
I want to meet these kids on there grounds. I mean it is really a park for them and I have yet to see another dad (other the teenage ones) out skating in it. I know it is a public park, but still does a 36 year dude really need to be boarding around with his little punks scooter riding brats? At this point I don't yell. I haven't even said anything at all.
When the time is right, I will just ask them to not cuss around the younger kids. No big deal. I might even look them in the eye and say, "you're smart enough to think of another word to use, give it a shot." The bottom line is to not make a big deal out it. The last thing I want is to be another adult yelling at these kids. I am sure they get that enough other places.
Hopefully my way of handling the language issue will do two things:
1. build a rapport with the kids at the skate park.
2. model for my boys how to be Jesus to the world around them without being judgmental and condemning.
We will have to see how this works.
I know one thing, my kids are going hear this kind of language all their lives (both in the church and certainly outside it) and I would rather have them hear it with me around than not.
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