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I am typically the type of guy who wants to try to fix things with the freedom of knowing if I mess up, it doesn’t really matter because I’ll have another opportunity to figure it out. A few months ago we had an issue in our bathroom that required removing tile and subfloor to access the plumbing under the floor. Needless to say, I didn’t have the opportunity to mess this up and try again if something didn’t work right. So I called my dad.

My dad somehow knows how to fix the majority of things. If he doesn’t, he somehow can figure it out halfway through and make it seem like he knew all along. I kid you not, he came over that weekend, with the exact tools needed to do the job, not having seen the project that was awaiting us in our home that was built 40 years ago.

My dad is an askable parent. From home DIY projects, to “my car is making this sound” questions and “how long should I smoke these baby back ribs at 275?”

As parents we are called to be the main disciplers of our children. The job belongs to nobody else. It’s us. Sure we have help from the church we attend, and in this case, the school your children attend, but discipling our children is our job. How are we supposed to do this if we are unapproachable? How are we supposed to do this if our children can’t trust us to give them honest and truthful answers? As we enter Spring Break we have a great opportunity to pour into our children. To make ourselves available to them. It is my hope that as a parent, my three daughters know they can come to me with their questions, with whatever they need. I would much rather them ask me their questions than find their answers somewhere else.

So, this week, ask your child! Ask them “do you feel comfortable asking me questions?” “Is there anything you don’t feel comfortable asking me about?”

May this week be the start of us all becoming more askable parents!

Joel Gutowsky
Director of Student Life
Logos Preparatory Academy