Life is busy.  With school, kids sports and activities, our daily life can easily be characterized as hectic and overwhelming.  Picking up Chic-fil-a on the way from practice can easily become the norm, rather than the exception, for getting everyone in the family fed.  However, we discovered that sitting around the table together at meals can actually make a significant impact on your family. Current research shows that having a shared Family Mealtime has huge [...]

Lis was coming out of the grocery store when she observed an altercation that seemed to be a sign of the times. A man was backing out of his parking space and apparently didn’t see a father and son walking behind him. The two were not in danger, but the father took offense at not being seen anyway and proceeded to yell at the driver. The driver took offense at the foul language and responded [...]

There is a significant link between the moral education of children and engaging whole brain learning that leads to greater emotional Intelligence and self-regulation. Raising morally responsive children can be a complex and challenging job, but it will not happen without intentionality on the part of mom and dad.   To be intentional means you make the moral education of your children a priority by setting goals, establishing standards and a proactive plan. The significance of [...]

To obey, to be obedient, gives an impression of subservience to authoritarianism.  You can just see in your mind’s eye an image of an imperfect authority dictating commands and requiring mindless adherence. This totally offends the popular mindset of today. And of course, said that way, sure, mindless obedience seems like an intolerant, narrow-minded, prejudiced preacher, like in the movie Footloose. In fact, OneFamily was rejected by an online parenting app because we professed value [...]

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 did a lot of things with and for our kids, but the truth is that’s not the same as giving them time. With the spring activities gearing up, it’s important that kids know [...]

In our Five Minute Opportunity letter, we discussed the idea of creating an environment that helps one successfully submit to parental instructions through offering a window of compliance.  There is a mental and emotional shift that occurs during those five minutes. Similar to that idea, a dear friend of ours shared with us a pearl of wisdom she had heard in a sermon at her church and how she creatively applied it in her family [...]

Adventure. Doesn’t that sound exotic? Since Lis is from Sweden, travel is part of our family DNA. Adventure brings new sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and experiences. We traveled to visit Lis’ parents every other year and took the opportunity to explore other countries. The stresses of travel can be pretty taxing on young and old alike, so attempting a family culture of adventure-mindedness requires behavioral preparation. Our children were expected to participate in our life, [...]

Last week Lis and Dave shared a terrific letter on How to Impact Your Child’s Attitude. We learned that attitudes, positive and negative, often reflect and reveal what’s in one’s heart. Reaching the heart of our children is every parent’s desire.  It is teaching them the How, the Why and the Way of God from whom all virtue flows and to impress these things upon their hearts. “Love the Lord your God with all your [...]