Don’t Try, Just Do

She looked at her child and said, “I always try and tell the truth.”

A mom was correcting her son for not being honest. She spoke to him in a kind and nurturing way, and as I walked past them this weekend, I thought nothing of it.

But as the week passed, I began to realize the contradiction in that statement.  How many times have I given advice to my kids in such a way that was more confusing than helpful? And just like this mom, we think we are giving solid advice to our children, but really we’re making them scratch their heads in confusion.

The issue lies with the word “try.” We don’t want our children to just try, we want them to do. We always want them to tell the truth.

When I was a kid my dad used to say, “Think before you talk.” And I still have to remind myself of that wisdom when parenting my own children. I need to make sure that when I’m teaching them, I’m actually giving them sound advice.

James 1:19 challenges us to be quick to listen and slow to speak, but in our fast-paced, on-demand society that seems impossible, or is it? What are some things you’ve said to your kids that you later realized was more confusing than helpful?