Imagine this scenario: It’s Wednesday night. Geoff, 17, is finished with his chores, and he’s finally ready for some well-earned time to relax! He turns on the TV and collapses into his favorite chair.

At that moment, Dad appears in the doorway, and he isn’t happy.

If you were Geoff, how might you have prevented this confrontation?

Communicating with your parents is like driving a car. If you encounter a roadblock, you can find another route.

 FOR EXAMPLE:

“I find it difficult to communicate with my father,” says a girl named Leah. “Sometimes I’ll talk to him for a while, and then he’ll say, ‘I’m sorry, were you speaking to me?’”

LEAH HAS AT LEAST THREE OPTIONS.

1. Yell at her dad.

   Leah screams, “Come on, this is important! Listen!”

2. Stop talking to her dad.

   Leah simply gives up trying to talk to her dad about her problem.

3. Wait for a better time, and bring up the subject again.

   Leah speaks with her dad face-to-face later, or she writes him a letter about her problem.

Which option would you recommend to Leah?

CONSIDER: Leah’s dad is distracted—and thus unaware of her frustration. So if Leah chooses Option A, her screaming might seem to come out of nowhere. This option probably won’t make Leah’s dad more receptive to her words, and it won’t show respect and honor for him. (Ephesians 6:2) Really, then, this option will not benefit anyone.

While Option B may be the easiest course to take, it’s not the wisest. Why? Because to deal successfully with her problems, Leah needs to talk to her dad—and if he’s going to help her, he needs to know what’s going on in her life. Silence accomplishes neither.

With Option C, however, Leah doesn’t let a roadblock become a dead end. Rather, she tries to discuss the subject another time. And if she chooses to write her dad a letter, Leah might feel better right away.

Writing the letter may also help her to formulate exactly what she wants to say. When he reads the letter, Leah’s dad will learn what she was trying to tell him, which may help him to understand her plight better. Option C thus benefits both Leah and her dad. Whether face-to-face or with a letter, this option follows the Bible’s admonition to “pursue the things making for peace.”—Romans 14:19.

What other options might Leah have?

See if you can think of one. Then think of where that option would likely lead.

Remember, what you said and what your parents think you said do not always match.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Your parents ask you why you seem to be in a bad mood. You say, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

But your parents hear: “I don’t trust you enough to confide in you. I’ll talk to my friends about the problem but not to you.”

Imagine that you are facing a difficult problem and your parent offers to help. But you say: “Don’t worry. I can handle it myself.”

• What might your parents hear?

• What might be a better response from you?

Ghee igiemwi na ghee: Ota ghaa nọ vbe ẹdẹ Wẹzde. E Geoff nọ rre ukpo 17 winna iwinna rẹn fo nẹ. Nia, ọ khian rọkhọ erhuan. Ọ rhu e TV, ọ na fẹko tota hẹkpẹẹ ye aga.

Vbe ọwara ọkpa nii, erhae na wa la owa, ọ wa suku aro rua ye uhunmwu.

Adeghẹ uwẹ ọre Geoff, de emwi ne u gha te ru ne ẹmwẹ na ghẹ si ẹzọ?

Evbibiẹ ọmwa na gu guan keghi yevbe imọto na fi. Adeghẹ odẹ ọkpa na khui, u ghi gualọ odẹ ọvbehe.

 VBE IGIEMWI:

Ovbialeke ọkpa na tiẹre Leah khare wẹẹ, “I ma zẹdẹ rẹn vbene I khian ya gha gu erha mwẹ guan hẹ, ugbẹnso I gha zẹ guẹ guan, ọ ghi wẹẹ, ‘lahọ ghẹ gui, te u sie gu mwẹ guan ban ra?’”

ỌKPA VBUWE EMWI EHA NA ẸRE LEAH GHA RU.

1. Ọ ghi van mu erhae.

   Leah ghi van wẹẹ, “Oo, baba danmwehọ ighẹ ẹmwẹ agbọn ẹre I ta na!”

2. Ọ wa hẹwẹ. Ẹi ghi gu erhae guan.

   Leah ma ghi hoo nọ werriegbe gu erhae guan vbekpa ọlọghọmwa ne irẹn ye.

3. Ọ ghi ziengbe khẹ ẹdẹ ọvbehe, ọ ke werriegbe mu ẹmwẹ nii rre.

   Leah ghi fẹko tota gu erhae guan ra ọ ghi gbẹn elẹta giẹ nọ ya tama rẹn vbekpae ọlọghọmwa ne irẹn ye.

Vbuwe emwi eha na, de ne uwẹ gha wẹẹ ne Leah ru vbọ?

MUẸN RORO: Iwinna ọvbehe ẹre ọ wa mu erha Leah—ọni ẹre ọ siẹre ne ọ ma na rẹn wẹẹ emwi eso kpokpo ovbiẹre vbe orhiọn. Rhunmwuda ọni, deghẹ e Leah na ru e Nokaro, erhae i khian rẹn emwi nọ miẹn. Ẹi re ọna ọ khian ya erha Leah rhie ehọ nẹ ta yi, kevbe deghẹ ọ na ru vberriọ, ọ ma yae rhie ọghọ ne erhae. (Ẹfis 6:2) Rhunmwuda ọni, nokaro na i khian biẹ ọmọ esi.

Agharhemiẹn wẹẹ Nogieva ẹre ọ yevbe nọ wa kẹ sẹ na ru, ẹi re ọre ẹwaẹn ye sẹ. Vbọsiẹ? Rhunmwuda deghẹ leah gele hoo nọ sọfurre ye ọlọghọmwa ọghẹe, te ọ gha gu erhae guan. Adeghẹ erhae ma rẹn emwi nọ kpokpo ẹre, vbe ọ khian ya ru iyobọ nẹ hẹ? Emwi ihoi ẹre nọ deghẹ ọ na hunwan.

Vbe Nogieha, e Leah ma wa hẹwẹ vbọ rhunmwuda wẹẹ erhae ma zẹyọ re. Nọghayayerriọ, ọ na zọe vbe iro ne irẹn mu ẹmwẹ nii rre vbe ẹdẹ ọvbehe. Deghẹ elẹta ẹre ọ vbe zọe vbe iro ne irẹn gbẹn, ọni sẹtin wa ya orhiọn rẹn sotọ vbobọvbobọ.

Elẹta nii sẹtin vbe ru iyobọ nẹ, nọ ya ta emwi hia nọ rre ọre orhiọn. Erhae gha tiẹre nẹ, ọ ghi rẹn ọlọghọmwa ne ovbiẹre ye, nọ te hoo nọ tama rẹn. Nogieha na, gha ru iyobọ ne Leah kevbe erhae. Ọre te ọ tota gu erhae guan ra elẹta ẹre ọ gbẹn, nogieha na keghi wa guaero ibude nọ rre Baibol nọ khare wẹẹ “wa gie ima gha rhie ekhọe ye ẹmwẹ emwi ne ọ gha rhie ọfumwegbe rre.”—Rom 14:19.

De emwi ọvbehe ne Leah gha sẹtin ru?

Roro ẹre ghee deghẹ u gha miẹn ọkpa ta, ne u gbọẹn ye ototọ mwa. U ghi vbe gbọẹn emwi nọ gha kẹrikian ighẹ azẹvbiro na.

Yerre wẹẹ ẹmwẹ eso rrọọ ne u gha ta, evbibiẹ ruẹ sẹtin rria re ghee ihe ọvbehe.

VBE IGIEMWI:

Evbibiẹ ruẹ nọ ruẹ wẹẹ, “vbọsiẹ ne u na wa ye fuẹnrẹn? Vbọ sunu?” U wẹẹ, “uwa sẹ mwẹ rae.”

Egbe ẹmwẹ vbenia sẹtin ye iran gha roro wẹẹ, u ma gba ẹko iran, rhunmwuda ọni, u i khian sẹtin mu otọ ẹko ruẹ ma iran vbọ gberra avbe ọse ruẹ.

Gia kha wẹẹ u rre ọlọghọmwa nọ wegbe, evbibiẹ ruẹ na gha hoo ne iran ru iyobọ nuẹ, sokpan u na tama iran ne iran ghẹ gbokhuo ighẹ u rẹn vbene u gha lae hẹ.

• De emwi ne evbibiẹ ruẹ khian gha roro?

• De emwi nọ te khẹke ne u ta?