[if I had a label for "church stuff", this post would go under church stuff]
So...we've all had plenty of BGR (Boy-Girl Relationship) talks at church and plenty of BGR-based discussions in camp dormitories, in Bible studies, while generally hanging out, why you may even have had your youth group leader unsuspectingly spring a BGR talk on you while drinking coffee at a social...but anyway, my point is, BGRs have been done to death. Don't get me wrong, they are good to have once in a while (I mean, we're having one at Glue this term, which I think will be a good thing), but we are always doing BGRs.
What about PCRs? No, not Polymerase Chain Reactions (for those of you who know what that is), but Parent-Child Relationships. Cos you know, I know some people who have really good relationships with their parents, but then I also know a lot of people who don't. It's not necessarily that it's a bad or antagonistic relationship, but can just be a bit...indifferent? Better? Anyway I'm sure at least some of you get what I'm talking about.
We had a few parents/kids forum things at Glue ages and ages ago....but yeah, that was ages and ages ago. And I'm sure we've had sermons on passages about husbands/wives/elders/parents/children and what not...but yeah, I dunno, they've never really stuck.
So recently (i.e. about half an hour ago while eating lunch) I've been thinking up burning questions such as these:
- How should you relate to Christian parents? (I mean, on a practical level, what should it look like?)
- How should you relate to non-Christian parents?
- Does 'not fighting' with your parents constitute a 'good' relationship with them? Or should you be striving for more?
- What if you have a better relationship with one parent than the other?
- [In an Asian immigrant culture] How do you maintain relationships with "astronaut" parents? (sorry, direct translation from a weird Cantonese term - anyway it means the situation when typically the dad goes back to Asia to work and only sees the kids in Australia a few times a year)
- What if your parents are divorced?
- Do only children have a different relationship with their parents than children with siblings? What if your parents are overprotective? (What if your parents are Asian? lol)
- Actually, yeah, what if your parents are Asian/ have a different culture...and yeah, various issues stemming from that...
- What about (arrrgh!) ministers' kids? Missionaries' kids?? (OK, is it just me, or do people have certain stereotypes about what these families should be like?)
- Who should the parents love more, their spouse or their kids? (hmmm!)
- How should you relate to your parents once you move out of home/ get married?
- And from a Christian parent's perspective: how should you relate to kids who fall away?
But yes, PCRs! Because who else here thinks it's relevant and is sick of BGRs? (OK, I could be alone on this point here...)
16 comments:
You can tell that your church is much more youth orientated one since, boy I haven't heard about BGR since the clubsex (Club Veg once every 4 years, the only one I happened to go to!) and thus I am not sick of them, but I think I would be if I had had any, since it's not a topic I really care for.
Now I don't know but aren't PCRs a more important topic for youth? Especially since most of us live with our parents and are staying at home for longer... I doubt anyone could say that they relate perfectly with their parents...
Good thinking Viv! Maybe we should have a meet and speak about these things together? What about the coming holz? Who is up for it, say ai! I am willing to host.
We should all do some background research and then come together and pool ideas :D
Hey Viv, this is awesome. Great questions you raised there.
I've been told parents should love their spouse more than their kids.
And yeah, I think people do have certain stereotypes about ministers' and missionaries' families :-)
Good idea Leach! Ai!
You're right, it is an important issue. Now I don't know much about this, since I often skip talks that aren't Bible Study or Church, but like Alicia I don't feel like I've had a lot of the 'BGR' type talks... I have a vague feeling that it's come up, it certainly has in personal conversations, but that's just cos, y'know, that seems to be how conversations work. But throughout high school especially, and still today, it has seemed that people have been struggling with parental relationships far more than romantic ones. So a valid point indeed. :)
Yeah, everyone has parents.
I think some topics tend to drop off the radar on Sundays... like parents/children stuff. Also death, sex, money... rock n roll?
I suppose we need to be thinking biblically about things that we face in life, and also things that the bible seems to think is important.
Parent/children stuff seems to be something we face in life, and important in the bible.
Hmmm...
I'm all up for it! I've got parental issues that I'm struggling to cope with right now.
You'll have to tell me an evening/day you're not working then! Sometime between 23rd June and 15th July.
Yay for not working.
Joshua son of Nun didn't have parents... :P
LOL! Joshua son of Nun :P
hey viv! personally, i haven't had a bgr in 2 years but i know that i'll be having two in one month soon....=P
But yeah, my parents were actually just talking about it the other day about how we should be having PCRs due to there being a lot of things to discuss/questions relating to this topic.
I've always teased my parents about the "do you love me or mum/dad more?" and they always say it's a different kind of love =P
haha!!! stereotyping PFs (pastor's families). it's true - people do that. but as long as we are a loving, Christ-centred family (as people expect us to have) there's nothing too much to worry about. =)
I am free on Saturday 23rd of June. :) And then Saturday 7th July, where I'll be pulling people out for afternoon tea or such for my birthday.
23rd June then?
Also, my church (Ashfield Presby) is having a fundraiser that night so people can come to that too!
How do we propose to prepare for this? There must be tonnes of possibly helpful info on the net...
I dunno, I've never prepared a bible study before at all, so would be interested to find out how...
Ah...I think I have to work, I'm already taking the next Saturday off to go to Brisbane for my grandmother's 80th! Plus, isn't that during exam time? =(
But yes, thank you for your enthusiasm and pro-active-ness! =)
Hehe, yeah, oops, it is during exam time, so I probably don't have time to prepare :(. Maybe in the week following? I'll see if i'm working and get back to you
viv ~~
Good idea haha
another idea for SYG hehe *steals*
keke
I'll come too, when we do organise it - how about before Pun's? (as long as it doesn't involve any eating, cause I"m saving as much space as I can for those deserts!! - but in the morning, then we could travel to city together?)
Interesting questions you raised Viv - I've heard it said that the best way a parent can love their child is to love their spouse. And then, how do you relate to in-laws / bf or gf's parents?
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