Parents, Know the F.A.C.T.S. from Your Kids

When my children are away from me whether it’s school, an activity, church, or with a friend—I want to know what they did. I doubt I’m alone. Am I?

It’s not only because I’m a low-hovering helicopter parent (which I’m sure I am). I prefer to call it active parenting.

Regardless, what someone calls it, I want to know what’s going on with my kids. Here’s why:

1. First, I care. I care about every detail of their lives. If I had the wisdom and omniscience of God, I’d like to know the number of hairs on their head, but I have to just settle for the FACTS!

2. Second, I want them to know I care about every detail of their lives.

3. Third, I want to protect them. It’s a dangerous and perverted world out there and I want to protect them all I can.

4. Fourth, I want to be ahead of the game. If there is an area in which I could help them or prevent something I want to stay ahead of it.

5. Fifth, I want to evaluate how our leading them in the truth is working out.

I’m sure I could come up with more reasons, but five is a nice number!

I want to know what’s going on in the lives of my children and they don’t readily offer it up, especially my oldest daughter.

For her personality, it’s not that she doesn’t want to tell us, it’s awkward for her to share it.

I had the opportunity to pick them up from school the first three years of their elementary career and the prying and digging of asking, “How was your day?” grew old. And was mostly ineffective. Can anyone relate?

In trying to make the daily question more fun to answer and easier for them we came up with the F.A.C.T.S.

First, it was you have to tell the FACTS before you get snacks. Now it’s tell the FACTS during supper. Amazingly, it’s worked. My youngest is always about to bust to tell her FACTS. My oldest now can express her day because she’s being provided prompts.

I want to share what F.A.C.T.S stands for so you, too, can get the FACTS before snacks or during supper.

                 (Have you gotten our latest children’s book Jesus and His White Horse?)

Formerly, I asked this as we drove home. Now it’s asked around the dinner table. Here are the FACTS.

F – Friends and Fun!

• Tell me something FUN that happened today.
• Tell me about a FRIEND you hung out with today.

A – Activity

• What special or activity did you have today? And what did you do?

C – Class

• Tell me something you learned in class or some classwork you did.

T – Teacher

• Tell me something about one of your teachers that happened today.

S – Snack or Supper

• Since you’ve told me the FACTS you can now have a SNACK or remember we tell the FACTS at supper.

Yeah, it may sound cheesy, but how it has worked out for our family, it appears genius, lol!

Give it a try.

Find out the FACTS because parents, we need to know the facts from our kids.