They say I tell a great many stories. I reckon I do; but I have learned from long experience that plain people, take them as they run, are more easily influenced through the medium of a proud and humorous illustration than any other way.
—Abraham Lincoln
If the Bible is any indication, Jesus rarely seemed to come out and say what he meant. He preferred, instead, to employ parables and stories and little anecdotes that made you think. He tells the story of the servants and the talents. He tells the stories of the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, the mustard seed, and the lost sheep. Turns out, that’s a pretty effective way to get a point across and make it stick.
And so it will be with your kids. We learn through stories—whether it’s the story of Cincinnatus or a story about the time when you were their age. We learn when people share moments of vulnerability, of their hard-won experience. We don’t like it when people tell us the point; we like it when they show us.
So stop thinking about giving them all the answers and start thinking about stories to tell that make the answers self-evident. It’s the best way to teach.