Hi readers - if you use any of these talks, please give me feedback about how it went with your club.  I'm always looking for ways to improve, and your input would be so helpful.  Thanks!

MY FAMILY & ME - Week 1

FAMILY TALK #1 – THEME:   I’m an  important part of my family, parents teach their children by their words & actions, God wants me to obey my parents

Panel – Have huge name tags with each name on it, and give to panelists -

Whiner

Two-face

Goody-goody

Sad Boy

Have a script for the 4 players, with their lines highlighted.

MC:  Welcome everyone to a very special night at AWANA!  Tonight we have four special guests who will be taking part in our quiz game – Family Fun!!

Let me introduce our four guests:

First is Ms. Whiner – please say hello, Ms. Whiner

Ms. Whiner (whining):  Hello

Second, is Two-Face – please greet our audience

Two-Face:  (smiling)  Hello everyone!  (then frowns, rolls eyes and says – this is stupid)

Third, Goody-goody – would you greet everyone tonight please?

Goody-Goody:  golly, it’s great to be here.  I wouldn’t want to be any place else in the whole wide world than here with you great people!  (Big smile!)

Finally, our last guest is Sad Boy.  Please say hello, Sad Boy.

Sad Boy:  (looking down and frowning) – Hi.

Our questions tonight are all about families.  I have our questions here in this hat, and I will read out a question, and will ask each of you to answer it.  After you’ve all answered the question, the audience will give their ideas about what you’ve said.

Our first question tonight is:

Are you an important part of your family?

Have kids answer

Whiner – No, never!  Everybody else in my family gets ALL the attention – nobody ever pays attention to ME. 

Two-face – I know you want me to say yes, so I’ll say “yes”.

Goody-goody – Of course – we all are important and we all share and we all love one another sooooo much! (hugs herself)

Sad Boy – No, I don’t think so.  I’m not sure I matter much.  My mom and dad are really smart, and I’m not doing too good in school.  My older brother is really good at soccer, but I’m really bad at sports.  I can’t do much of anything good.  I think they love me because they have to.

Okay, audience.  You’ve heard their answers.  Let’s begin with Goody-Goody.  What did you think of her answer?  What about Two-Face?  Whiner?  Sad Boy?

Our second question tonight is – Do you obey your parents?

Whiner – All my parents do is tell me what to do from the time I get up to the time I go to bed.  They treat me like I’m a servant! 

But I found a way to get out of it every time!  Any time my mom asks me to do something, I always say – (whining) – Do I HAVE to?  After a while, when I whine and whine, my mom just gives up and does it herself.  Brilliant, right?

Two-face – Well, I tell them I’ll do it, but then if you watch closely, I never do it.  It works more than you’d realize (rubs hands together).  Sometimes I act like I don’t hear them.  Sometimes I pretend I’m sick.  That works too.  I got a million ways to get out of doing things.

Goody-goody (frowns at Two-Face) – I can’t think of anything I would rather do than obey my parents!  It makes me so happy to be a good girl, especially when my older sister disobeys!  I look really, really good then.

Sad Boy – I try, but I can’t seem to ever do what my mom and dad want.  I try hard, but even when I do, my Dad yells at me and says it’s not good enough.

Finally, panelists, our last question –

Do you care about your family?

Whiner – Sort of, I guess.

Two-face – I act like I don’t, but deep down I really do.

Goody-goody – Yes, absolutely, all the time, all the way!!

Sad Boy – Yes, I really do.  More than anything I love my Mom and Dad.

Okay, this question seems to have all our contestants answering a bit more honestly, don’t you think?  Audience, what did you think about Two-Face’s answer.  If he loves his parents, why do you think he has such a hard time obeying?

What about Sad Boy? 

Thanks, panel.  How can we help each of these kids?  Let’s begin by thinking about each one.

I think we already know what we think about Goody-Goody, but does anyone want to tell us what you think about his/her answer?  God loves Ms. Goody-goody, just like He loves you and me.  So what could we tell her from the Bible that might help?

What about Whiner?  He/she seems a bit like Two-Face.

Col. 3:20,  Proverbs 1:8-9  (have kids read)

Finally, let’s think about Sad Boy’s answers– Eph. 6:4 – anything else?

Let’s let them know what a good job they have done tonight.  (Thank and sit down)

So tonight we were having a little fun thinking about families – moms & dads, and kids. 

Every family is special, and every family is made up of people – young and old – who are sinners, and sometimes hurt one another.  But your family is a real gift to you.  God cares about you and your family. 

Are you like any of the kids in our panel?  If so, maybe the place to start is being more respectful and obedient to your mom and dad.  Or maybe it’s knowing that no matter what happens, God loves you very much.

Close in prayer.

PS:
Did this one last night and it went very well.  Had to tone down the girl who played "whiner", and at first the boy who played "Sad Boy" thought it was a bad role - I convinced him it took more skill to play it and he did a great job.  The mom of "Goodie Goodie" was with us, and she was laughing out loud hearing her daughter talk about how obedient she was.  Good night.