Transcripts: Whiteboard Animations

Transcript: Whiteboard animation. How can I talk to my parents?
[On a dry erase board with a black marker, a little boy is drawn, running to his parents to show them something]
Presenter: When you were younger, your parents were probably the first ones you ran to for advice.
[His parents smile]
But now you might feel that your parents just don’t understand you.
[As he ages, question marks appear above parents]
Deep down, you still want to talk to them. But what if you try, and you feel they just aren’t listening?
[Dad works on a car]
Well, you could raise your voice, but shouting won’t make your parents more receptive and won’t show them the respect they deserve.
[Shouts with megaphone]
You could give your parents the silent treatment, but the Bible suggests at Proverbs 15:22 that things only get more frustrating when you don’t talk. So, saying nothing really gets you nowhere. It’s smarter to just wait for a better time to talk.
[Talks while they drink coffee]
Or you might even write them an honest but respectful letter expressing how you feel. But what if the situation is flipped? Yeah, that’s right. Your parents want to talk, but you don’t.
[The boy’s under a rain cloud]
Maybe you had a bad day at school. It’s true that choosing to talk when you don’t feel like it could mean the conversation will be forced, which makes everyone tense and leads to poor communication.
[Mom under a rain cloud]
But refusing to talk means you’ll still be stressed, and your parents might think that the problem is bigger than it is, or worse, that you’re hiding something. Instead, you could start off talking with them on a subject that isn’t as stressful or even one that makes you happy.
[Talks about soccer]
That will ease the tension or get rid of it all together.
[He smiles with dad after they play soccer]
The bottom line: Your parents want to help you, and you can use their help.
[The boy and his parents confidently smile]
So, choose your words carefully, deliver them respectfully, and think of your parents as friends, not enemies.
He writes a letter, talks with parents, and plays with dad]
Because let’s face it, you’ll need all the allies you can get to cope with the challenges that lie ahead.
[Standing with his parents, he looks ahead to romance, graduation, and bullies]
(Logo: Black capital letters JW.ORG inside a white box. Copyright 2017 Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania)