Since Christmas is next week and we’ll be gathering with family and friends, I want to look all week at what Doctor Wayne Mack calls “circuit jammers to family communication,” in his helpful book, “Your Family God’s Way.” Parents, the burden falls on us to be sure that we aren’t adopting any of these harmful communication patterns. Dr. Mack warns us against excessive negative talk. This takes place when we constantly complain, find fault, and seldom affirm or talk about the positive virtues of other people. Excessive negative talkers rarely acknowledge the good things happening in the world, the church, or their family. These verbal purveyors of gloom and doom foster a depressing atmosphere in the family. Parents, if this is the way we’re approaching our kids, don’t be surprised if your home becomes a place where heaviness, rather than happiness, prevails.