Insights

Last week, Mrs. McIlvoy started the conversation around the importance of developing a family mission statement. She mentioned that it takes time, and should be done as a family UNIT, meaning everyone gets some input.

When you start the journey of writing your family mission statement you have to enter the project with an interpersonal skill that many of us struggle with. “What is this interpersonal skill?” you may ask. This skill is the skill of active listening.

Active Listening requires listening attentively to a speaker, understanding what they're saying, responding and reflecting on what's being said, and retaining the information for later. In summary, being present during these conversations, present mentally, not just physically. Many times, especially as parents, we go into conversations already knowing how things are going to end, because we have already made the decision. By doing so, we go into conversations with no willingness to actively listen.  Or, we are physically present for the conversation, but our mind is on 100 different things. We then create a family mission statement that is owned only by the parents, and not the family, or one that we haven’t even thought through. Everyone should be able to buy in on this family mission statement.

To begin, ask questions like…

What kind of family do we want to be?
What kind of things do we want to do?
What kind of feeling do we want to have in our home?
What things are important to us as a family?
How do we want to treat one another and speak to one another?

These are just a start, but by simply asking these questions, actively listening, and asking more questions, we can start to build amazing family mission statements that will not only drive our families now, but will build formative habits in our students for years to come.

I challenge you to start working these things through. Begin having these conversations. Then, may we actually live them out!!

May we work together to build families that honor each other, honor those around us and strive to make an impact for Christ now and in the years to come.

Joel Gutowsky
Director of Student Life