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. [...]
Throughout our parenting journey, one parenting tool that we have utilized the most is planting seeds. While the generic concept of planting seeds is not new, our friends Dave and Lis provided us with a perspective that took the concept to a new level in our parenting with a 2 step approach: Planting seeds – Initiate a significant idea or topic with a question Cultivation – Ongoing conversation follow up This tool has been particularly helpful [...]
Equip yourself with practical and applicable tools to improve or create an effective parenting strategy and a stronger marriage! _______________________________ ONLINE CLASSES 6:30-7:30pm PT, 7:30-8:30pm MT, 8:30-9:30pm CT, 9:30-10:30pm ET Early Bird Discount ends 9/30! (Classes will not be recorded) Starting 10/10, Thursdays 7:30-8:30pm MT, - Parenting the Middle Years (Expanded to include 7yrs through Teens) - https://events.humanitix.com/online-midyrs-1024 Starting 10/15, Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm MT, Parenting Toddlerhood Transitions (18mos to 5 yrs) - https://events.humanitix.com/toddlers-oct2024 ONE-NITE ONLINE [...]
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 [...]
Sunday, September 8, 2024 was Grandparents Day. Unfortunately, this special day usually passes each year with little notice. Grandparents are blessing and should probably be honored more that we do. Sometimes, we can let our own relationship with our parents affect their relationship with our children. Here is a letter we posted previously that may provide you with some insights that you may or may not have considered in the Grandparent/Mom & Dad relationship dynamic. [...]
Football season is upon us. We’re Broncos fans here in our house, even though they’ve hardly been worth cheering for almost a decade. Nonetheless, they’re our team. We used to hate the Raiders, you know, football hate. Not that we genuinely celebrated injury to an opposing player or ill toward Raiders’ fans, but just normal football spirited team favoritism. The idea that children have an innate desire to be on a team is beyond dispute. [...]
Perfection is an impossible standard. Yet, in our results driven society, it's amazing how the pursuit of perfection continues to be coveted in almost every aspect of life even though it derails us in our pursuits. The pursuit of perfection often leads to disappointment, shame, frustration, and feelings of failure. However, pursuing excellence leads to accomplishment, confidence, contentment, and feelings of fulfillment. This distinction was not only something we passed along in parenting our boys, [...]