When I was a high school basketball coach it was not uncommon at some point during a season for me to lose my voice. This temporary laryngitis was brought on by the vocal strain of consistently yelling instructions to our players in loud gymnasiums.

As parents it is also possible for us to lose our voice with our kids. I am not referring to laryngitis but rather from a lack of credibility or inconsistency. As the Dad of two teenagers I know that I am competing with the noise of the culture to be heard. Many times this cultural noise is louder than the loudest gymnasium. It is essential that as parents we:

• Maintain credibility by matching our words and actions. When we fall short in modeling the message let’s admit it and ask our families to forgive us. As our kids grow older it is essential that we model living out our faith.
• We lose our voice when we are inconsistent. If the only time we discuss our kid’s progress and experiences in school is when they get a bad grade on their report card then we are inconsistent in our involvement/parenting in that area. The same holds true with even greater significance if we are not having spiritually focused conversations and leading in our kid’s spiritual development. Let’s be consistent in our parenting regarding our kid’s spiritual health.

As parents let’s make certain we don’t lose our voice with our kids.

What other ways can parents lose their voice?