Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. Like many others in the beginning, Jon and I were surviving the sleep deprivation and just keeping our little ones clean, fed and rested. As their little personalities developed, we realized our two girls were very different. Using the parenting techniques that came naturally to us didn’t always give us the results we wanted.
Jon and I soon realized we were not on the same page with how to parent. I worried a lot and was high strung. Jon was more laid back, finding the humor in most situations. This led to frustration and the occasional conflict in our marriage. We sought help.
It was through community at our church and friends that encouraged us to take the parenting classes offered by the Howards through OneFamily. What a blessing this became. We attended Parenting from the Tree of Life and Parenting in the Middle Years. We learned to be consistent. We learned the importance of speaking Words of Life. We implemented Couch Time. We started parenting more from an authoritative perspective. We used reward charts to change behavior regarding first time obedience, whining/talking back and bedtime routines. We made sure we were parenting each of our girls ‘inside the funnel’. We learned more about their unique temperaments and adjusted our parenting accordingly. We built a family identity. We learned to prioritize our marriage with regular date nights.
Our girls are now 6 and 8. They are kind, well-mannered and pretty awesome. We can see the results of the effort we have put in. We have an open line of communication and they feel safe telling us their hopes, challenges, mistakes and fears. God is the center of our home and we use His teachings to guide our girls with their ever growing freedom and independence. We are not perfect, but we are a lot farther along than we would have been without these classes. Our girls take comfort in knowing that they are loved, and the Words of Life spoken over them remind them that Widmiers are kind, brave, confident, determined and strong. This is our family identity.
Even though the teenage years are just around the corner, and come with new challenges, we strongly believe the foundation built now through these classes will help us in that stage too.
With Jon’s profession of school counseling, he sees the need for more parenting education and support for families. OneFamily’s mission is just that. Parenting is our most important job and keeping our faith and marriages strong is the cornerstone of everything. OneFamily has been such a blessing to our family and more people need to be reached with this encouragement and content. We ask that you please consider donating to OneFamily with a year-end gift and encourage you to take their classes and attend their events. Click on the links below to find out more:
DONATE NOW
OneFamily has a special donor that is Matching year end (tax deductible) donations!
Upcoming Classes
Kick of the New Year with classes starting January 16th!
Blessings to your family in the New Year,
The Widmiers