This is an actual (paraphrased) exchange Dave had with our 16-year-old son. If you are using the Funnel philosophy (Parenting from the Tree of Life – Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo) on how to provide freedoms to your children, this is how it played out at the Marr house. “A teen rebels not against authority, but against relationship” (Ezzo). As a child grows, parenting philosophy on why decisions are made should be transparent and spoken aloud so they [...]
With Valentine’s Day coming up, we want to offer you some practical ideas regarding love for your family. Love can be expressed in a multitude of ways and it’s the greatest gift we can offer our spouse and children. Here are three thoughts we continue to focus on in our marriage and family. Being intentional with these things has changed who we are as a couple and who we’ve become as a family. Our Marriage and [...]
A Three-Part Series to Help Your Child Learn The Ways of Money Teaching your kids about money – Pre-adolescent thoughts Gaining responsibility about money – Adolescent thoughts Paying for college and being an adult – College and beyond _________________________ College and Beyond Your parenting guidance doesn’t end at 18. It’s as valuable now as it’s ever been, just more nuanced. The relationship you’re building will create opportunities for you to share your hard-earned experience, particularly [...]
A Three-Part Series to Help Your Child Learn The Ways of Money Teaching your kids about money – Pre-adolescent thoughts Gaining responsibility about money – Adolescent thoughts Paying for college and being an adult – College and beyond _________________________ Adolescence Though your children may not be in this age category yet, there are benefits to looking down the road to not only contemplate this topic, but also get a feel for how all topics layer [...]
A Three-Part Series to Help Your Child Learn The Ways of Money Teaching your kids about money – Pre-adolescent thoughts Gaining responsibility about money – Adolescent thoughts Paying for college and being an adult – College and beyond _________________________ Pre-Adolescence What is money to a child? If not told, not trained, and not experienced over an early lifetime, a person might walk the road to ruin with lack of understanding about money and its successful [...]
To your children, God looks and acts like you. They will come to define God’s love based on how they have experienced your love. Their self-worth will be based on that definition, a love that finds the right balance of words and actions to coax and mold appropriate behavior and effort. Their life is a divine journey of discovery guided by you. And for those parents who understand the depth of this blessing, they recognize [...]
"Be patient, be a good listener, be consistent..." these are just some of the more common “Top Parenting Tips” you'll find when searching around the Internet. And we would agree with many of those tips. However, we thought it would be fun, and encouraging, to provide you with our top ten parenting tips that have most impacted us over the years. 10) Have fun and enjoy your kids – It was very easy for us [...]
What does a thriving family look like? Certainly, there are many answers to this question, but we believe at the heart of a thriving family is a healthy marriage and effective parenting. It is an encouraging home environment where children are flourishing with everyone feeling emotionally and spiritually fulfilled in each other's company. Our marriage and family life is definitely not “Perfect.” Yet, our home life is characterized by our efforts toward being the [...]
For the Howards, this is our favorite time of year. It’s a great time to reflect upon our blessings, enjoy many family traditions, and refocus our perspective on our life’s priorities. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year! However, in all that wonderfulness, it can also be the most stressful time of the year… Especially this year! Many of us are missing loved ones and friends this Christmas Season as we practice [...]
During the COVID pandemic, we noticed several behavioral issues with our kids. We have two sons ages 3 and 6. The added stress of working from home while helping our kindergartner with remote learning and keeping an eye on our preschooler had us at our wits end. It got so challenging that we began to wonder if we needed to get my 6-year-old tested or take him to a child psychologist! He was having huge [...]