Proverbs 18:13:
He who answers a matter before he hears it,
It is folly and shame to him.
While much of my parenting from Proverbs series has focused on things that I should teach my children, the focus of today’s passage points directly to me. I need to take heed to the wisdom of this passage. More often than I’d like to admit, whether it be with my husband or my kids or even someone else, I’m quick to answer or respond to a situation before I hear the entirety of the matter. I need to be a better listener. I need to be less focused on solving an issue or becoming frustrated at an issue, and first focused on what the actual matter is. In regards to parenting, no matter how tired I am, no matter if I am working on something else, no matter if I’m right in the middle of cooking dinner, I need to take the time to be focused on the things that my children are bringing to me. Now, I’m not at all advocating encouraging my children to interrupt, but they do need to know that I’m there for them when they need me, and that I’m going to listen to their situation completely. I need to be patient and thorough in my thinking and decision making and not rash or quick to jump to conclusions. I need to avoid making quick assumptions because I *think* I know what happened or what my child is going to say. I need to listen carefully first in order to handle each situation as wisely as possible.
