Joey & Carla Link
September 23, 2026
When your kids are confronted by a friend with the option to try something new, do they think it through, or do they just jump in not thinking about the outcome or consequences?
I remember as an 8 year old boy, I was riding my bike, and I saw a little critter running near me. It wasn’t fast and I was intrigued with it. I thought I could take it home and have a new pet. So, I picked it up and it bit me! I dropped it fast and cried all the way home.
Now maybe I should have known better, but for some reason, I didn’t stop and think this cute furry animal wouldn’t want me as a friend. My mind simply bypassed all the negative ways this could go wrong or hurt me, and I only thought about the possibility of having a pet. I ended up learning a hard lesson as I had to go get rabies shots!
Have you taught your kids to pause and think, so something new to them doesn’t hurt them physically or emotionally? Parents of babies & toddlers put a gate at the top & bottom of stairs as toddlers don’t know that they can get hurt falling down the stairs.
But for your preschool kids, do they know the cleaning supplies under the sink can hurt them? Or going out of the house alone is dangerous?
How about your bike riders and skaters, when you turn them loose to go on their own, do they know when to pause for cars and other people? Or when they are on the playground and other kids tell them to try something that they might not have the ability to fully do, is their fear button turned on, do they have the wisdom to say “NO” I need to ask my dad or mom first. Do they know not to look at their friends phones because they might see something on it they aren’t allowed to or aren’t mature enough to handle?
Are your kids wise enough to realize they don’t know everything? Do they know asking mom and dad really is a wise safety net for them, and it’s being smart no matter what others might say to them or challenge them to do in that moment?
If your kids don’t have a pause button in their mind, wise parents will work on building a pause button in their thinking so that they know when to stop and when to go. A wise parent will also pull in their child’s freedoms or funnel, not letting them go out alone until they demonstrate they know how to pause.
It’s like playing the game of red-light/green-light. Whoever the caller is usually has a pattern about when they call red light and green light. You want your kids to have a sixth sense about when danger, temptation or things that are concerning could pop up to hurt them so they will stop(like when the caller calls out red light) and ask for permission(green light), which will ultimately give you more trust in your kids so you can give them so much more freedom.
“Know-it-alls don’t like being told what to do;
they avoid the company of wise men and women.”
Proverbs 15:12
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A Family Forum With The Link Family Listen to Joey & Carla Link’s kids answer parents questions about growing up in the Link house, and how they got more freedoms as they grew in responsibility. MP3PDF Use code SEPTEMBER27 at checkout by 9/27/26 for $1 off the MP3 & PDF |
Parenting Made Practical Podcast
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Do your kids ask you for permission when they want something? Kids who don’t ask for permission for what they want do not respect your authority to decide what they can do. In this podcast Joey and Carla talk about you setting the boundary of asking for permission for your kids so they know what they have the freedom to do on their own.
Click the title or search Parenting Made Practical in your favorite podcast app to listen!