We recently read about an idea that really resonated with us. It described how children need their parents’ blessing. A blessing from mom and dad communicates unconditional acceptance and affirmation while greatly impacting a child’s identity. Your blessing frees their hearts and minds to grow into all the good things you as a parent want for them. For Dads, its especially important to know the impact your blessing has in the lives of your children. [...]
Parenting is a year-round process. However, we found that summertime seemed to be a really productive and effective time in our parenting. Maybe it was because many of the school year obligations and hectic schedules got dialed back and the excitement of sunshine, family vacations and barbecues filled our home. Whatever the reason, we used our summertime excitement as a special time of the year to “super charge” some of our parenting initiatives while enjoying [...]
If we’ve learned anything in the years we’ve lead parenting classes, it is this: The parenting process is a series of relational transitions. In our Parenting Phases letter, we described four stages and the relational phases: Birth to Toddlerhood – Discipline Phase Toddlerhood to Childhood – Training Phase Childhood to Teenagers – Coaching Phase Late Teens though Adulthood – Mentoring/Friendship Phase It’s often difficult for parents to transition through each of these phases and make [...]
Con el Día de la Madre acercándose, Shelly reflexiona sobre cuatro áreas de su viaje de maternidad. _____________________ Me siento verdaderamente bendecido y agradecido por el viaje que he estado con Rich para criar a nuestros hijos, que ahora tienen 23 y 21 años. Estábamos a mediados de los años treinta cuando Trevor y Alex nacieron y pensamos que seríamos grandes padres. Rápidamente descubrimos todas las maneras en que la crianza de los hijos nos [...]
En todo el plan de estudios que llevamos a los padres a través, el concepto de CouchTime sigue siendo una de las herramientas más impactantes que discutimos. A lo largo de los años hemos tenido muchos padres que nos piden que proporcionemos más información sobre CouchTime. Así que pensamos que podría ser útil proporcionar un poco más de detalle con respecto a por qué, cuándo, dónde y cómo de CouchTime. Por qué los beneficios de [...]
With Mother’s Day approaching, Shelly reflects on four areas from her motherhood journey. _____________________ I feel truly blessed and grateful for the journey I’ve been on with Rich in raising our boys, now 23 and 21 years old. We were in our mid-thirties when Trevor and Alex were born and we thought we would be great parents. We quickly discovered all the ways parenting was going to challenge us. As a mom, the experience has [...]
When looking at your child’s behavior, have you ever considered their emotional health? Certainly, there are many factors that influence emotional health, but over the years we have seen many situations were focusing on your child’s love language can greatly improve their overall disposition and behavior. You've probably heard of The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts, by Gary Chapman. Or perhaps you took the test as a part of a pre-marital [...]
Cuando usted era un niño, ¿alguien le mostró cómo saludar a un vecino apropiadamente? ¿Cómo aceptar cumplidos o cuál es el comportamiento adecuado en un restaurante o cuando tuvieran invitados para cenar en la casa? De ser así, ¿sabía usted por qué era importante que usted mostrara cortesía y respeto? Un consejo práctico clave que nos ha ayudado mucho en la crianza de nuestros niños es el Juego de Roles. Nos ha permitido mostrarles, con [...]
Our mindset has everything to do with our happiness and success in every area of life. What we’ve experienced over the last year has certainly amplified that in so many ways. Dealing with the impact of the Pandemic has definitely affected our mindset. Navigating change, disappointment and uncertainty takes a lot of emotional work. We’ve all been under more stress and feeling more anxious which can manifest in some harmful ways if we let it. [...]
Having a healthy and thriving family begins with a health marriage. We believe that the marriage relationship should be the first priority within the family structure… even before our kids! In today’s society, there is constant pressure to put our children first above EVERYTHING else in the family environment. This misguided prioritization can ultimately lead to child-centered parenting and even divorce. Don’t get us wrong. Our children are a top priority. And just because we [...]