Finding Switzerland
I must admit I am a shopper. I do not even have to buy anything in the stores I enter; I just enjoy walking around and checking things out. The person who I love to shop with the most is my mom. Probably because we talk about life, like the same stores, and enjoy each other’s company while we shop. My mom does not live in this state so when she comes for a visit we are off to shop. It has always been what we love to do together since the time I was in junior high. In fact, when we struggled to get along in my junior high years we always had our neutral ground, shopping! It was the activity we enjoyed doing together that made us smile, laugh, and enjoy each other’s company. And as we perused the store’s racks of clothes, I found myself truly opening up and sharing was going on in my life with my mom. Now, it was not because she bought me things, in fact many times she didn’t, but it was our “Switzerland” in the midst of a rocky relationship while I was in junior high.
I had the opportunity to be able to do the teaching this Sunday on our current series, The Good Fight. The Good Fight is all about fighting FOR a relationship with parents rather then fighting WITH parents. I know from past experiences that the years in junior high can also be the years that the relationship between parents and child can be a rocky road, and the fighting can be continuous. So when I shared with the students about honoring their parents and not always seeking to be right all the time, I also shared with them how to start building that relationship with their parents.
One area I challenged the students to begin to fight for a relationship with their parents was by finding a “Switzerland”. A Switzerland is a neutral activity that both the parents and student enjoy doing together. This neutral place is where the relationship can be built rather then torn down, a place that the relationship can be deepened.
Finding a Switzerland takes time, but from my experiences it has helped foster a deep and meaningful relationship with my mom.
Enjoy finding a Switzerland.
Jen
