“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 to [...]
We’ve all experienced it – the time when you thoughtfully held a door open for a stranger and they walked through it without a thought, as if you were born to serve them. What didn’t happen? Sure, the smallest of expressions, a simple “Thank you”, a little courtesy acknowledging the tiny gift you gave them didn’t take place. But more importantly, even before that rote response learned in childhood, the person would have needed to [...]
Transforming and impacting families is at the heart of our mission with OneFamily! It’s about building an encouraging home environment where children and marriages are flourishing with everyone feeling emotionally and spiritually fulfilled in each other’s company. This means equipping families with practical resources, encouraging them through the challenging days to persevere and sustaining them in their marriage and parenting journey. The Butlers are a wonderful family and joined us online from Los Angeles, along [...]
Young parents and even experienced parents cannot anticipate the wide array of challenges that come with raising their children. Many couples are “winging it” and can be blindsided by children’s unexpected emotions, behaviors and logistical issues that arise. In these stressful moments, any parent can feel overwhelmed and frustrated and their best intentions go out the window. Now imagine facing those challenges as a single parent! This past fall, we had several single parents join [...]
Is your family characterized by having an attitude of gratitude? When creating family identity do you cultivate and teach gratitude? Among the many reasons we love the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving to Christmas, is that it provided us a wonderful opportunity to build our family identity through family traditions that encouraged Trevor and Alex’s hearts towards internalizing the virtue of gratitude. Family Identity Through Family Traditions Family identity is an anchor for you and your children. [...]
Everyone has been or will be wronged. They will be slightly offended or grievously injured with every degree and variation in between, from strangers and worst from intimates. It is part of the human state. It’s set up that way where imperfect people with imperfect information with limited time, limited resources, and limited maturity act out, make choices, and cause harm. Some do it deliberately, most inadvertently. Humans bump and bruise their way into adulthood [...]
Each November, as Americans, we have the unique privilege to exercise our American Liberty by “V”oting and honoring our “V”eterans. Last Tuesday was Election Day and this Thursday 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 [...]
The Fruits of the Spirit are: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control. Think about what those look like in a person you admire. Can you recall people you appreciate because of their wisdom, sense of self, their calm spirit, and that their goodness radiates their character? As a result, isn’t their life the kind of life you see yourself living in some ways? In other words, the quality of their character [...]
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. Most of us [...]
Today’s OneFamily Letter is but a short video clip of a baby under 1 year old and a poem that captures the reality of a child’s growing heart and mind. Enjoy both. Our little babies are doing to us what we aspire to do to God – mimic His ways. We humans are designed to be copying creatures trying to sync up with our givers of life. Think on this: As far as your child is concerned, [...]