Some additional thoughts are: do not become locked in your generation.  Interpretation:  do not seek out only those of the same age as you.  Cross those generational boundaries. Live a little.  Enjoy life.  Two of my suggestions do just that: selling door-to-door and biannual family camps.

For some reason, once a sibling becomes a preteen we allow them to live only in their generation.  They want to hang out with their friends all the time —we let them.   They have to have a cell phone- an ipod, a nintendo, etc –we let them, no questions asked nor any restrictions put on the use. 

How are their grades?  Good? Then moderate use of the game toys. Not good?  Take them away until Good is reinstalled.  Why moderate, because these are tools not our life.  Our–their life revolves around relationships whether we like it or not.   Who says?  Jesus does. 

I challenge you to find where Jesus mentioned heaven as such and not in terms of relationships to others.  “I go to be with my Father.” or “I go to prepare a place for you”    Relationships rule.    Do not let the younger generation have their way of living in the vacuum of only their age group. 

Did you know that in the Jewish households of years ago, that the grandfather taught or educated the children?  How or why so?  Well, the father was busy working, and the mother was busy preparing the daily meals and keeping the house.  So it was the grandfather that educated the children.  This is way cross generational.  Tell me about it. 

Why the stories that that grandfather had to tell the children. I am sure they were spellbound and I am sure they had respect for their elders.  I’m also thinking it went beyond respect to comradeship, another term for friendship.  Wow! Think about it.