Today my son Roan and I are in San Diego so I can cover a conference this weekend at Skyline Church where Dr. James Dobson is hosting the “Building a Family Legacy” conference.
After being extended an invitation to cover the event last month, I decided to take Roan along so he could hear and meet Dr. Dobson, who authored the best selling book, Bringing Up Boys – a staple for parents looking for clues about ushering our young boys into manhood.
Dr. Dobson’s 50-year career, most of which was spent at Focus on the Family, has been remarkable to say the least. Few men in the Christian community impacted national policy and the family unit as Dobson has. His soothing voice and solid Biblical teachings have lead thousands (a number that is only my guesstimate) to Christ.
Since part of my covering the conference involves a breakfast and one-on-one interview with Dr. Dobson, I thought Roan would enjoy listening to him discuss his career and his thoughts on what the next twenty years holds for families.
Roan asked me what questions I planned on asking during the interview and to be perfectly honest, I have not yet prepared my list. But one immediately came to mind.
My son is now 12 years old and will be turning 13 in two months and it’s hard to believe that I am soon going to be the parent of a “teenager” – a word that strikes fear in most parents. One question I might ask Dr. Dobson and in front of my son is what are the most significant challenges to guarding our children against the onslaught of technology that they encounter each day? How can I protect my son from ungodly movies, TV shows, sport figures and the like? It’s a question I hope he can answer and one I want Roan to hear.
Oh, and thankfully our trip has allowed us some free time. On Thursday night Roan and I caught the train from San Diego to LA so we could see the Dodgers and the Mets play (that’s baseball for your Major League Baseball fans).
Spending quality time enjoying one of our favorite pastimes is certainly a good way to bring up a young man. Oh, and did I mention it was 75 degrees and sunny today!
