Communication with Parents

We did a fireside in our ward that was quite successful. It was on Communication with Parents. We invited the parents to…We did a fireside in our ward that was quite successful. It was on Communication with Parents. We invited the parents to come with their youth and really promoted this activity. We wanted to do something different than a typical fireside with just a speaker.
I welcomed the guests and thanked them for coming. I sat down in a chair and picked up a magazine and began to read. The other counselor walked in chewing gum and said “MOM I am going out” (I was the mom)
I threw down my magazine and started scolding her. We went into this whole situation of a mom arguing with her teen daughter and was sure to make mistakes on BOTH sides. The parents and youth were laughing and we just kept on. (I have raised 4 kids so I KNEW how to go off on a kid that made me mad but I really went to the EXTREME.)
She played a good smart mouth kid, even picking up her cell phone and talked to her friend at one point. We went at least 5 minutes ad lib.
I then paused and put my arm around her and said “Thank you” so she could sit down. I then asked the parents and youth, “What was wrong here?”
Everyone started answering as to what the CHILD did wrong but I had to pull it out of them the things the mom did wrong.
We then had a 20 minute speaker on all different types of communication.
After we went into the gym. We had a taped huge circle on the floor. Each kid was blind folded and we then put items in the middle of the circle…toys, shoes, dishes, things around the house.
The parents had to stand on the OUTSIDE of the circle and direct their kids to 3 items (They were given a list). It was amazing with all the parents screaming at once to tell their kids where to go to get such an item, and each kid was able to get their items. They managed to hear their own parents above the others screaming!
We then switched and the parents were blind folded and did the game again.
We all went back to the RS room after the game and the Bishop gave closing remarks. All this took one hour and 10 minutes. We kept things going and didnt have a lull in the action.
EVERY parent came up to me and told me how much they liked it and many said if firesides were more like that their kids would be more willing to come.
Now for NEXT MONTH….