Monday, November 7, 2011

FHE {Choosing Good Friends}


My oldest son is getting closer and closer to Jr. High. OH MY! Does this ever give me heart palpitations. Jr. High was a rough time for me. I felt lost through quite a lot of it. I didn't have a lot of confidence and found myself seeking whatever friends would take me.

I have learned throughout my life that friends can have a profound impact on our lives. The people we choose to spend our time with contribute to molding our character. L. Tom Perry, in the February 1993 New Era said,

"The friends we choose to associate with are main contributing factors in the formation of our character. We form social habits by association with our friends. These habits can be useful when directed towards the formation of a wholesome personality.

I have found that the right friends have a powerful influence on your life. Choose your friends wisely. Make certain they will help build within you the right standards with which to govern your life."

I wanted to impress upon my kids minds how vital choosing good friends would be in their lives. This was the object lesson we came up with.....

(I have to apologize for the picture quality. My camera was out of town with my hubby and the cell phone was all we had. Not great, but better than nothing! :) )

These 4 bowls of water represent different interests people may have. I had the kids name a few interests that different people may have. We had a group that liked video games and movies, a group that liked driving and race cars, a group that like sports and a group that liked games.

We filled each bowl with pre-cooked pasta. The noodles were representations of people, or friends. We talked about how usually we make friends based on having similar interests as they do. We talked about how it was good to be kind and friendly to everyone, not just those that we spent the most time with, because of our similar interests.

Then we started talking about what happens when a person or two in our group of friends start to make bad choices. As I dropped a few drops of blue food coloring in one bowl we talked about how one of the friends in this group started using cuss words to express himself. Little by little, others started making this same choice.

Before long these choices started to affect, or change the character of each of the friends in the group. There was a little guy that didn't like the cussing, but liked spending time with his friends. We talked about how he decided he was going to stick with the group, but he wasn't going to get caught up in the same bad habits his friends were involved in. Before long, he too was starting to get stained from the bad choices being made in this group.

We talked about how perhaps because the boy was surrounded by these words all of the time, they were the words that came to mind when he got upset and before he knew it a few of them had made their way into his vocabulary.

This group was our video game & movie group. These guys got caught up in playing video games that were violent and movies that were filled with inappropriate language, violence, etc.


Our red guys were getting caught up in drugs, smoking & alcohol. (You can, of course, adjust each groups "sins" based on your feelings and your kids age. Remember, kids are exposed to things MUCH younger. Go bold with this. Bold, but appropriate. If your kids don't hear this from you first, where would you like them to hear it from? Their peers?)


This group is our group of friends that have committed to each other to not allow these sort of bad choices to define them. They lovingly encourage each other to stay clean. They have found that life is MUCH more fun without the cussing, drugs & inappropriate games and movies.

I took one of the noodles from the "good" bowl. He decided he wanted to hang out with the blue group. They had similar interests and he was certain he could spend time with them without getting trapped in the same bad habits. In fact, he thought that he could actually become good friends with them, hang out with them all of the time and maybe they would choose to follow his example and stop making the choices they were making.

Little by little their choices started to define his character. As he was in the center of it, the things they were doing didn't seem so bad and little by little he started making similar choices.

Before long, those choices became a central part of the definition of his character. He was blue.

This was a great opportunity to talk about helping others and setting a good example. It is SO important to do these things. So how do we do it without getting caught in it ourselves. I asked the kids if they thought it would be easier to help a friend out of a deep pit from down in the pit with them, or from the ground above. They chose the ground above. We talked about throwing them a rope, a ladder, etc. The were so many options, but from inside the pit, our only option was being stuck and needing to be rescued ourselves.

I told them that I once had a very good friend that I loved so much. We had been good friends for most of our lives. She was always a good example to me. One day I met a boy that I really liked. I started to date him. My friend knew that his friends weren't the kind of friends she wanted to spend time with. I knew it wasn't a good choice, but I liked the boy I was dating. I promised I wouldn't make any of the choices they were making and kept spending all of my time with them. A while later I could see that my life had changed. I wasn't making choices that were allowing me to stay close to the spirit. I wanted out.

I didn't see my friend much during that time of my life. She didn't want to get involved with the new friends I was spending my time with. When I did see her, I could feel how much she loved me. She helped me remember that these choices weren't the real me. I felt sad about the choices that I had made and I wanted help to get out of them. My good friend was getting married soon. She invited me to her bridal shower. I remember how happy she was to see me. She was about to get married in the temple. I could see the example that she was setting. She didn't know it, but that night was an answer to my prayers. I was in the pit. She was casting me a ladder through her love and example. She helped me out. I let my friends know that I had to change my life and that I couldn't spend time with them anymore. It was hard, because I enjoyed them personally, but the choices we were making all together couldn't be a part of my life anymore.

Although it was a hard thing to do, it was the best choice I had ever made! I was so thankful for such a good friend that set such a good example to me! If she had started coming with us and got down in the pit with me, we both would have been lost. But she didn't. She kept trying to send down help. That is the kind of friend WE need to be.


I gave the kid a noodle and told them that it represented them. They got to pick the group of friends they wanted to be with.

We also discussed how sometimes in our lives it will feel like we are alone. Maybe all of our friends are making bad choices and we feel like we don't have any friends. We talked about how no matter what, we always have our family and we always have the Lord. Those are the important relationships that last forever. They said that they would rather be on their own than getting stained in the other groups.


And then my son Jake took this whole lesson to the next level. That is what he tends to do.

We talked about how we can always repent and have these sins washed clean from us. We read,

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."
-Isaiah 1:18

Jake asked if we could spray bleach on the red noodle to represent the Atonement cleaning our sins. I didn't know that it would work, but I thought it would be worth a try. 


It totally worked! It wouldn't work on the green or blue, but totally worked on the red! Great! It goes with the scripture perfectly! :)

The Atonement is the most important part of all of this lesson. We all make choices that we wish we wouldn't have, at one time or another. Some more severe than others. The important thing for our kids to understand is that there is ALWAYS a way out and a way to be washed clean and it is only through the power of our Saviors Atonement.

I am so glad we did this lesson! Mallory talked about it for days after! It will be something we repeat often. Perhaps each year just before school starts!

Let me know how it goes for you, or if you come up with any variations. I always love hearing other ideas!

41 comments:

Just Us said...

Thanks for the great fhe lesson. Doing this one tonight.

Anonymous said...

Super idea! Thanks!

Camille said...

Very creative. Kids are such visual learners and I'm sure this had an impact on yours. Will have to do the same with mine! thanks for sharing!

April said...

Love this. Thank you!!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this lesson, we have a sone that just started junior high. This was the perfect way to reperesent what can happen and the power of the atonement.

Alison said...

What a wonderful idea! Thank you for sharing! A couple weeks ago we did your Stairway to Heaven FHE and the kids loved it. This will be next weeks lesson. Thank you for all of your hard work in sharing this with us!

Kim said...

This is seriously awesome! We are going to use this sometime.

Pat and Jim said...

Very very cool Amy!!
~Pat Gomm

Betsy said...

I saw this on Pinterest and I LOVE it! I teach 3rd grade and I think I'm going to use it in my classroom. Thanks for sharing! :)

Tammy @ she wears flowers said...

This is wonderful and just what I needed to find this week. My daughter is in need of this lesson and I love the way you did this. Thank you!!!

Penny Hughes, Personal Publishing Consultant said...

found this lesson on pintrest! I was moved as I read how you shared your own life story with your kids. That is so much more powerful than using made up stories or circumstances. You are a great mom!

Jessica said...

What a great lesson! Found it on pinterest. I will be using this one.

karren said...

Ths is very good and can be adapted to different situations. Thanks for the pics and script here.

Anonymous said...

I have told my kids repeatedly about "For Now" friends and "Forever" friends using people in my life that they know. This helped them understand that people come in and out of their lives and how to choose the ones that stay.

Apron Appeal said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Babblin' Brooke said...

I can't wait to use this tonight! Thanks so much for sharing. Looks like you've got lots of other fun ideas as well. I will be back...

Julie@My5monkeys said...

Found this through Pinterest and great lesson idea and will be having teenagers soon :)

Unknown said...

Found this through pinterest and love it! We have already had to talk to our barely 6-yr-old about pornography and modesty. We know that he's not getting the influence from home and so our assumption is that he might be getting it from friends at school. So sad that those kind of influences are happening younger and younger. This will definitely be a FHE lesson that we will use repeatedly. Thank you for sharing!

Anonymous said...

I also found this FHE on Pinterest! Mine range in age from 12 to 19, and they are not too old! So we will be doing this one soon. Gonna be great! Thanks!

Leah said...

Thanks so much for taking the time to write this down. I will be using this lesson tonight in FHE all the way out here in Ohio!

Stacey said...

I love this! Thank you so much for sharing. I included it in my round-up of activities for this season: http://turning-our-hearts.blogspot.com/2012/04/9-lessons-of-redemption-round-up-of.html

Anonymous said...

It's amazing the lessons we end up learning from our children. what a beautiful gift you both gave to each other.

Anonymous said...

THANK YOU!! I needed a last minute mutual activity for my beehives and this is PERFECT!!

us said...

This is very good! Great lesson!

Manda Jane Clawson said...

I have been looking for a good lesson on friends for my activity day girls and this is perfect! THANK YOU

Unknown said...

Love this! I'm planning on trying it for our childrens sermon tomorrow at church. Do you mind if I use some of your pics to show the adults in the audience what is happening on stage? I would credit you and not use any pics with your kiddos, only up close noodle pics!! :) thanks for considering!

Amy Lindstrom ~ YourLifeUncommon.com said...

You can absolutely use whatever you need Kristen! Thanks for asking!

Unknown said...

all i can say it was a brilliant illustration. I love it, I'll use them in my Youth classes.may you come up with new- new object lessons on every topic.

Blessings
Ps.Daniel

Unknown said...

good friends make a great difference in life

Unknown said...

do you mind me using your Object lessons and pics for my Youth.

Thanks

Amy Lindstrom ~ YourLifeUncommon.com said...

Go right ahead! Thanks Daniel!

Cynthia said...

I'm a little concerned when we talk about influence why is it always the bad influencing the good. I really wish we could show how a good person making the right choices can positively influence the people around them. Why do we always have to remove ourselves from the world instead trying to improve upon it?

Anonymous said...

I like this lesson, but I wonder how you can use this concept to illustrate taking in someone from the "bad" group and welcoming them into the "clean" group. What if someone from the green group decides they want to shed their negative traits and be friends with a nicer group of friends? Or, how do you illustrate reaching out and welcoming someone from the red group into the "clean" group? I like the idea of teaching how to stay away from certain types, but what about being proactive and spreading your niceness?

Unknown said...

This is a cute idea. It is such a good thing to openly talk to your child about the transition to middle school. Not only will it prepare them for things before they happen but also let them know they can come to you to talk.

https://parentarizona.com/4-things-to-tell-your-son-before-he-goes-to-junior-high/

melon_patch@msn.com said...

Amy, Thank you so much for being such a good example. Here it is 2015 and you are still making an awesome impact for the right! Your personal example given in the lesson teaches us that it is possible for one's good example to rescue someone who no longer wants to be influenced by bad choices. You addressed both sides of the issue very well. Once again, Thank you. Denise

Mya said...

I think those that did not change color totally after getting sprayed with bleach, could be those consequences of our sins that we have to still deal with. Even though our sins may be forgiven we still bear those consequences of our sins. Excellent lesson. Thank you!!

Unknown said...

What I did, to take it yet another step further - I removed the noodle and bleached it white, then added him back to the group, using the idea that maybe it's a sports team or dance class where we do still spend time with those people, even when we have made the decision to stop whatever bad decision (cussing, in my example) the group was making. About five minutes later we went back to the bowl and the bowl of red noodles and food dye was almost completely clear - so - when one person makes a concerted effort to turn their bad decisions around it can positively influence the entire group. My middle school youth loved that!

Unknown said...

P.S. I liberally spritzed the noodle with bleach and then dumped both the noodle and the bleach that had been on the little plate in, to help along the color dispersion.

A Momma said...

Love this. Thank you for sharing!

Jen said...

Did this for FHE last night. Worked great. Thanks for the idea.

Carina Alejandra said...

Thank you very much!

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