In my mind, I have an ample amount of time before my children fly my nest to face the world. But the calendar is suggesting otherwise.
Bubs started his first year of high school a couple of months ago meaning that I have only 3 years to finish the training that I started 15 years ago.
Up to the point I have instilled in him a work ethic through chores and responsibilities. He has learned God’s love for him through key Bible stories and verses. Through basic parenting, Bubs has a strong head knowledge of how to Love God and Love Others.
But at some point, the head knowledge must transfer to a heart belief. My teenager must internalize what he has been told and execute it as his own.
But this transformation takes time. It requires conversations in teachable moments. It demands intentionality. It means walking with him through the trials and challenges of his volatile teenage years. It involves making deliberate deposits into my child’s heart.
41 Deposits
To help guide this immense task, Steve Graves has written the book 41 Deposits: Crucial Conversations for Fathers and Sons. Included in this easy-to-read book are 41 lessons that Steve shared with his son during his son’s high school years.
Each chapter includes a story that drives home a specific deposit, followed by key insights to consider and questions to ask and answer.
The goal of the book is to provide opportunities to invest some life lessons as deposits into the child, just as one would deposit a paycheck into a bank. Each short chapter covers topics of faith and personal values (My Faith, My Core, My Heart, My Relationships, My Work, My Future).
But this book isn’t only for fathers and sons. I have used the chapters to guide time with both Bubs and Sweet Pea (age 13).
Be Intentional
If your children or grandchildren are entering or in the teenage years, I encourage you to pick up 41 Deposits. Or give a copy as a gift to a parent or teen leader.
If your children are younger, lay a solid foundation of truth and obedience today so that when the teenage years come you will be ready to use a solid tool like this book. Start today, because while the days are long, the years are so short.
Thank you to BH Publishing for allowing me to review this book in return for an honest review.
