As we watched the various New Year celebrations for the year 2000, I imagine many of you reflected on the past and wondered what the future has in store for you. Various mile-markers in life such as New Year's, births, and deaths, have a way of doing that. As parents you can take advantage of these opportunities and talk about the past and future with your kids. 

What are the things from their past experiences that stand out in their memory? What were good times? What were difficult times? What helped them to grow as a person? What helped them to grow in their faith? What do they hope they never do again? Also, discuss their hopes and dreams for the future. What kinds of things would they like to do by a certain age? What would they like to do as a family? What kind of a person do they want to be in the future? What kind of person would they like to meet as that special someone or potential spouse? What kind of career or vocation are they most interested in doing? What kind of person do they want to become spiritually? 

While we may normally have difficulties starting these conversations with our children, it is much easier to do so in conjunction with mile-marker events when even children can have a tendency to think about the past and the future. As they say, strike while the iron is hot. Such a conversation can let both you and your child in on each other's thoughts, dreams, and hopes, and can open the door a bit wider for future conversations of other important matters in life. (01/02/2000)

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