This is an actual (paraphrased) exchange we had with our 16-year-old son.  If you are using the Parenting 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 [...]

Each November, as Americans, we have the unique privilege to exercise our American Liberty by “V”oting and honoring our “V”eterans. Today is Election Day and next Monday is Veteran’s Day. How often do we take both for granted, let alone explain the importance to our children?  Yet both are fundamental to the founding and longevity of our republic.  Without either “V” our country would not exist. Learn, Instruct and Vote Voting is at the heart of [...]

Do you give your children the freedom to fail or make mistakes?  Or more appropriately, do you allow them freedom to grow with personal responsibility and ownership? Whether you are a child or an adult, failure is not failure if you learn and grow from it.  For parents, it’s especially difficult for us to see our children suffer frustration, experience emotional pain or the discomfort that comes with failing or making mistakes.  As a result, [...]

As much as we enjoy Halloween, we were always glad when it was behind us. Sure, we enjoyed many aspects of trick or treating - like the time a 4 year old Elvis impersonator came to the door and said, “Thank you.  Thank you very much” in his deepest little voice.  But with all the fun and excitement, there is also a certain kind of craziness that is driven by the childhood narcotic – Candy. [...]

We hope you’ve picked up on a major theme from OneFamily – Family Identity. Family Identity takes ages to develop a decent working hypothesis and years and years after that to prove it out through countless scenarios. Homework is one such area that brings many family factors into play where Family Identity can be used positively and effectively. What does “the grade isn’t as important as the effort you put into it” actually mean to [...]