Lis was coming out of the grocery store when she observed an altercation that seemed to be a sign of the times. A man was backing out of his parking space and apparently didn’t see a father and son walking behind him. The two were not in danger, but the father took offense at not being seen anyway and proceeded to yell at the driver. The driver took offense at the foul language and responded [...]
As we wrap up several of our fall parenting classes this week, we were reminded of our own family journey and how far we have come. Looking back on all the seasons of our parenting, there was one thing we did when our boys turned 13 that made a significant difference in all our lives as they became teenagers. We came up with a Year of Discovery, which is compilation of ideas we took from [...]
There isn’t one among us who hasn’t had to forgive someone for something small or large. None of us will escape this earth without doing so again. Of all the spiritual tasks God has assigned to us, forgiveness is of the highest order. No other quality speaks to love and grace with as much reason for it. Forgiveness can release demons, restore relationships, establish a base on which to build, and set a path for [...]
This past weekend we celebrated Trevor's 22nd birthday. While we enjoyed laughing, celebrating and reminiscing about his 22 year journey, we were also reminded of our own parenting journey and two important perspectives we have learned through the years. Parenting is process Wouldn’t it be great if you could tell your children something once and they would fully comprehend the meaning of everything in your instruction. Like, telling your kids to “play nicely” and they [...]
Every other week the Howards, Shelly and Rich, and the Marrs, Lis and Dave, trade off writing a OneFamily Letter with the intent to nudge, influence, educate, support and, in small part, come alongside women and men who are hard at work in the job of life. On the whole, life can be…well, complicated. They don’t teach parenting, marriage, or being an adult in school. It is true that a small misconception of how “things [...]
Finding the balance between permissive and authoritarian parenting styles can be challenging. Often times, when left unchecked, they can create behavioral issues with your children and put a strain on marriages. This typically happens when one parent is perceived as fun loving and easy going, while the other is perceived as the harsh disciplinarian. Generally speaking, your parenting style tends to be the opposite of how you were raised. See if one of these descriptions [...]
What kind of impact does having a longstanding group of friends have on a growing family? Enormous. Therefore, you should be intentional and proactive in building a community of like-minded friends. It is surprising the level of influence that your community of friends can have on your life, your style of living, your parenting, the quality of your marriage and its potential longevity, the behavior of your children, your health, your sex life, your business [...]
Last week was National Youth Sports Week (July 15th-21st). In our nation, we are blessed to have wonderful youth sports programs for kids that do so much more than teach children skills for playing sports. Sports teaches kids about life while providing health benefits, increased prosocial behavior, improved emotional and psychological health, increased academic performance, and overall sense of well-being. We loved watching (coaching and team mom too!) our boys play different sports as they [...]
Blended families have as much potential for individual and collective harmony and success as any other family, they just have some unique challenges to face. In this Letter, we’ll offer some perspectives on those challenges. It’s a big topic, so this Letter can’t and won’t be able to deal with the multitude of nuances that exist when two people come together, each with their own previously established lives. “But sail we must, and not drift [...]
Emotional control or self-discipline is being able to manifest the appropriate expression of our emotional state. Our ability to manage our emotional responses is a lifelong skill that can define our character positively or negatively. Anger, frustration and disappointment are a part of life as a child and as an adult. There will always be times when these difficult emotions happen, but how we respond and express ourselves is the key to emotional maturity. When [...]