“I hope that my story can give some insight on the side of social media that not enough people talk or know about and I encourage you after reading this, that you will talk it over with your kids and figure out ways to keep them safe and use social media responsibly.” At one of our Screenagers Event, we met a terrific young teen we’ll call “Jack.” Jack, who is now in his second year [...]
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. As 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. However, in order [...]
You have been blessed with wonderful children whose very nature is one of love and of learning. And you are their teacher in both. Season after season, you’ll have these saplings of yours that will look to you to guide them in the ways of love and the ways of the world. It’s just that simple. Like the gardener who always has a new crop of challenges of weeds and insects, sunny days and cloudy, [...]
Last week Rich and Shelly talked about Success in Marriage Excellent points in there! Each marriage has an era where things are going well or where issues need attention - where a little idea can mean a lot. That little idea can compound over time into something fantastic. That was the case with us. At a time when our marriage was at a fork in the road, we discovered 2 important things that helped our relationship [...]
For nearly 32 years, we would say that most of our married life has been characterized by happiness, blessings and growing together. Yet, like all couples, there have been a few bumps in the road. The issues and challenges weren’t anything we couldn’t fix, but they did require emotional resiliency and attention on both our parts. Without this resiliency and attention, we would have ended up on the wrong side of the divorce statistics. One [...]
At the intersection of Nature and Nurture stands a child’s attitude. Clearly a child is born with a temperament that influences the way in which they receive information. Their unique personality immediately coloring their own experiences to some degree, large or small. A baby’s joyful openness or colicky restraint seemingly foretells a life to come. How can parents influence a child into a positive mindset that will establish a ‘Can-Do’ perspective, open to new experiences, [...]
Parenting doesn’t come with a manual. Like many others in the beginning, Jon and I were surviving the sleep deprivation and just keeping our little ones clean, fed and rested. As their little personalities developed, we realized our two girls were very different. Using the parenting techniques that came naturally to us didn’t always give us the results we wanted. Jon and I soon realized we were not on the same page with how to [...]
One of the greatest parenting joys is when your child lets you into their private world... especially during the holiday season! What is the private world? Generally speaking, it is a special place where we all hold deeper thoughts, treasured memories, and feel the most vulnerable. It is the essence of who we are. The private world is what we share with our spouse and only our most trusted and closest friends. As our children [...]
We have a very cute Mallard duck family that lives in our neighborhood. We often see them in the late spring, tending and leading their fuzzy ducklings near the water feature at the entrance to our community. As the “parent ducks” go back and forth from the water feature, the little ones follow in a perfect line behind them. For these ducklings, it’s instinctual for them to follow with complete discipline and obedience. We never [...]
What does a thriving family look like? Certainly, there are many answers to this question, but we believe at the heart of a thriving family is a healthy marriage and effective parenting. It is an encouraging home environment where children are flourishing and everyone is feeling emotionally and spiritually fulfilled in each other's company. Our marriage and family life is definitely not “Perfect.” Yet, our home life is characterized by our efforts toward being the [...]