As parents, it is a challenge and a blessing to provide the language that our children will use as the building blocks which forms their thinking structure. If we use constructive words, words of life, and positive reinforcement words when we encourage, then those are the concepts that will form their reality and the development of their character. Here are 2 concepts that have helped us with our children to develop their internal thought processes that affected their [...]
Grandparent involvement in the lives of your children is a blessing that must be managed appropriately so the joy is not offset by drama created by imbalance. If you have grandparents who cautiously seek time with your kids with a visit or they wait upon you to come see them so as not to impose, consider this ideal a wonderful balanced blessing. But occasionally the grandparent mix creates family drama that must be managed so [...]
Zig Ziglar said children spell love T-I-M-E. We remember how hard it was when our boys were young, to carve out time for them as we juggled work, housework, working out, errands, quiet time, kids’ activities and the list goes on. We were doing a lot of things with and for our kids, but the truth is that’s not the same as giving them time. It is important that kids know that they matter in [...]
The recent coverage of Masculinity with the Gillette ad and the released Guidelines from the American Psychological Association claims that “traditional masculinity – marked by stoicism, competitiveness, and dominance and aggression - is, on the whole, harmful”, essentially a ‘boys will be boys’ mentality is toxic. The “#me too” movement and meaningful efforts at creating a world where bullying and sexual predation isn’t acceptable is worthy of everyone’s time and attention to sort through the [...]
The Howards are big football fans, so last week we happened to be paying attention when the Denver Broncos hired a new head coach, Vic Fangio. At his press conference, Coach Fangio coined a phase summing up his philosophy, expectations and vision for the Broncos. He said the we will not be a team that suffers “Death by Inches.” As a mom, it really got me (Shelly) thinking. The coach was talking about areas we [...]
Moms and Dads attend OneFamily parenting classes to find answers. Should a child sleep in the parent’s bed? Is offering a reward for good behavior a bribe? If you take away a privilege, how and when should you restore it? Are timeouts really effective? How do you get your children to play nice with one another? Should you spank, and if yes, then for what reason and how should you do it? How should you [...]
"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 [...]
As you know, we’re all about encouraging you to think about things you can do to positively affect the wellbeing of your family. So instead of just saying “Hey, take some time to write down your goals for 2019 during couch time”, we want to give you an idea that has been an absolute difference-maker for the Marr family. Dinner time discussions. If we were to list the things that made our family so connected, [...]
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 [...]
January 7, 2018 Dear Journal, Kash and I reached a low point in our relationship yesterday. I screamed “shut up!” at him, which shocked him, and the littles. And hours later, he repeated it and told me to shut up, which threw me into a spiral. My temper has manifested in ways I am ashamed to even document on these pages. Why do I do it? Why do I lash out? Kash mirrors my behavior [...]