Parenting is a year-round process, yet summer brings a unique opportunity to amplify our parenting efforts. The relaxed pace of the season, with its sunshine and family activities, provides an ideal backdrop for “supercharging” our parenting initiatives while enjoying the fun of the season together. We’ve always been proponents of goal setting and planning, as evidenced in our Tuesday Letters. That’s why we’ve crafted a Summertime Checklist—a guide to help you prepare or revisit parenting strategies [...]

There is a door that when open allows mom and dad into the inner sanctum of a child’s heart. It’s a place of intimacy and love, trust and acceptance, a place of goodwill and harmony. But when that door is closed, there can be confusion and anger, accusation, and resentment, and often a place of mistrust and discord. A child’s heart is a delicate thing that evolves with the seasons of life. What starts as [...]

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.  [...]