Did You Know?

Hey Parents,

Every year about this time, two professors from a small college in Wisconsin publish a "mindset" list to remind us that the entering college class has a completely different knowledge base than previous generations.  You might have seen the list.  For example, this year's freshman class has always had cellphones, always ordered books from Amazon, has never known a communist Russia.  Most striking of all on this year's list?  Ferris Bueller could be their dad!

The mindset list reminds us that knowledge is always on the move.  When we narrowly define knowledge as the dictionary does, we forget that facts and information can only take us so far.  What really matters - what really tests our knowledge - is what we do with what we know.

As parents, you navigate that journey as you build into your kids an understanding of the world around us.  One of the ways we can do that best is to think about the destination before we get too far along on the journey.

Roll those years forward.  Imagine the end of your child or teen's formative years.  What's it look life after he or she has become an adult?  What are the most important things that we want our son or daughter to walk away with and know once they leave our home and head for college and beyond?

With that end in mind, we define knowledge a little differently, with a more active sense.  For us, knowledge is "discovering something new so you can be better at what you do."

Kids are naturally curious.  They are wired at birth to question, explore, and discover what they don't know.  If we are not careful about how we handle learning, kids can grow up and grow out of being interested in discovering new things.  The future of your children is not only linked to what they know, but to their desire to keep learning.  Whether they realize it or not, adults have the ability to turn the discovery dial up or down in a kid's life.  If you are going to turn it up, you need to become intentional about looking for ways to intrigue them with new ideas and insights about life.

Keep the story in history.

Keep the mystery in science.

Keep the application in math.

And when it come to spiritual issues, be careful you don't define God in such narrow terms that He's no longer as huge and miraculous as He really is!

Heffe