When Dave was in his late 30’s, he and his dad had a major blow up. Whatever it was about, it shook both men to their core and resulted in a break in communication that lasted for over a year. The silence was deafening. Dave mentioned this rift to an older gentleman friend who wisely said, “You’re the only one who can mend it. And you should.” That was it. He said no more. That [...]
“Friends will come and go, but you’ll have your brother and sister forever. Remember, you guys are best friends.” We told this to our kids over and over again, submitting this jewel of family culture into their little subconscious minds. At the end of every bickering argument and tug of war, we would coach them on how to resolve the issue and conclude by stating factually that the family bonds were strong and “You are best [...]
Having a healthy and thriving family begins with a healthy marriage. Other than your relationship with the Lord, we believe that the marriage relationship should be the top priority within the family structure… even before our kids! In today’s society, there is constant pressure to put our children first above EVERYTHING else in the family environment. This misguided prioritization can ultimately lead to child-centered parenting and even divorce. Don’t get us wrong. Our children are [...]
Over the years, we have taken many courses and attended many conferences on marriage, parenting, and relationships. We love going to these events because we always come away with some new ideas and tips, as well as reminders of things we’ve let slide or have forgotten about over the years. However, it seems that no matter how excited or recharged we get from these events, we’ve found that after a few months go by, our [...]
Does your family embody an attitude of gratitude? When shaping your family identity, do you actively cultivate and teach the importance of gratitude? One of the many reasons we cherish the holiday season, from Thanksgiving to Christmas, is that it offers a fantastic opportunity to strengthen our family identity through traditions that encourage our family to internalize the virtue of gratitude. Family Identity with Family Traditions Family identity is an anchor for you and your [...]
New! CouchTime Conversations Cards! As we head into the holiday season, we are excited to share that we have added CouchTime Conversation Cards to our conversation card line up! This is a great way to enhance your CouchTime and strengthen your marriage relationship. If you are not familiar with CouchTime or Time of Non-conflict, you can learn more by visiting our resource page. Our Family Conversation Cards are also available in English and Spanish! When [...]
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 [...]
Of course, when reading the phrase “making love” one’s mind goes to the act of sex, but as we all know we don’t need love to have sex. Making love is so much more than sex. And, in our assertion here, making love is a dynamic that enhances the family culture well beyond sex into all areas of marital and family life, with a resulting effect of increasing connectedness and intimacy. And, of course, this [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]