Families
Week 98
The trust in the family
The complete family unit is found only among human beings. Very few animals have strong parent/child or male/female relationships, but none have the complete family unit for life that man has. Some animals have strong social relationships, mostly based on instincts and hierarchy.
Genesis 1:28 says, “And God blessed them; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth…” The family unit with father, mother, and children was instituted by God. Since this thought is under severe attack in our society, we felt we must address the truth of families with the youngest among us. This will instill the simple truth into them so that as they grow, they can remain firm in this truth.
Note to the serving ones: While we faithfully present God’s view of a family, we recognize that some of our children’s families may not relate to what is being presented in these topics due to different types of situations. (For example, there may be children whose parents have passed away, children whose parents are not involved in the family/church life, children who are adopted, children who were raised by step-parents/grandparents, etc.) The serving ones need to be careful/sensitive in how they address these matters so that the children don’t come away from the story feeling bad because they may not have a mom and a dad to do the things that we are presenting. We don’t want them to feel like their families aren’t “real” families, but rather, we want to give them an appreciation for the complete family unit from God’s view. In your time with the children, please be sensitive to their personal circumstances. Be careful that no child feels that his or her family is wrong or worse than the others.
Point to emphasize
Our family is a safe place where we can always talk to daddy and mommy about anything, and we know we can always trust them.
Sample content and conversation with children
- Today, we are talking about how daddy and mommy make us feel so safe.
- [Show picture #1 or a photo of a child looking lost in a crowd.] Have a look at this picture. What do you think this little boy is feeling right now? [Let the children respond.] Yes, he is sad, unhappy, scared because he is lost in a crowd without his parents.
- [Show picture #2 or a photo of a child with his parents in a crowd.] Is this child still scared? [Let the children respond.] No, the child feels safe. This is because the child has found his parents.
- [Show picture #3 or a picture of a child about to cross the street.] Does this little girl look like she should cross the street by herself? [Let the children respond.] No! What does she need to cross the street? [Let the children answer.] She needs a mom or a dad. [Show a picture #4 or of a parent holding a child’s hand while crossing the road.]
- We can trust in our parents. Our family is a safe place for us. [Show picture #5 or of a child talking to dad or mom.] What is this boy doing? [Let the children respond.] Yes, he is talking to his dad. We can talk to our parents if we are feeling sad. We can also talk to our parents if we are happy.
- [Show picture #7 or a photo of teenagers talking with their parents.] Now look at this picture. What are they doing? [Let them respond.] This teenager is talking to his dad. As we grow up, we still know we can tell our parents everything.
- [Show picture #8 or a photo of an adult talking with their parents.] Who are these people? [Let the children respond.] Yes, these are grown-ups. What are they doing? [Let the children respond.] Even when we are grown-ups and have our own families, we still feel safe talking to our parents about everything.
- Whether we’re little or grown-up, we can always come to our daddy and mommy about anything! Our parents love us, they care about us, and they’re the best ones who can help us.
- It is so good that God gave us a family that makes us feel safe.
Suggested song
May be big or may be small but my family is best of all… (chorus)
Pictures
#1: A child looking lost in a crowd
#2: A child with a parent in a crowded place
#3: A child about to cross the street
#4: Children crossing the street holding hands with an adult
#5 A child talking with his dad
#6: A teenager talking with his dad
#7: An adult talking with his dad
