500 Fridays Newsletter - 2.5 min read Season: The Cold Days (6 of 12) Build The Connection The teenage season of parenting gets a ton of bad press. My wife and I were told several narratives by others that proved false in our family. After our power-decade season of parenting had wrapped up, we expected something different, but were surprised by the teenage years. They don't need you anymore...not true. They hardly ever open up and talk about their lives...false. They just want to be with...
13 days ago • 2 min read
500 Fridays Newsletter - 3.5 min read Season: The Cold Days (5 of 12) Hot & Cold It has been a cold, snowy week in my part of the country. Translation: kids have been home from school and out of routine way too long. I've sent a lot of texts to my friends with kids in your 3-13 season, checking in on them. These cold and dark weeks turn hot with tension at home. The house is a wreck.The kids are bored & hungry.The work responsibilities are delayed.The parental patience is at an all-time low....
20 days ago • 3 min read
500 Fridays Newsletter - 2.5 min read Season: The Cold Days (4 of 12) Family Controversy In our family, girls are allowed to get their ears pierced at age 12 and not a moment sooner. Are we crazy? Possibly.Are we an outlier? Likely.Do we have a reason? Definitely. How much thought have you put into the appropriate age for a girl to have her ears pierced? If your answer is not much, then you're in the majority. For most families, there is no thought at all, which is totally fine. I am sure...
27 days ago • 2 min read
500 Fridays Newsletter - 2.5 min read Season: The Cold Days (3 of 12) The Proximity Problem On Christmas day this year, our family had a Clark Griswold moment. We enjoyed a bit of nostalgia when I grabbed the old video camera and watched some early-stage home movies. The big kids were 2 & 3 years old. Everyone in the living room smiled, ooed, and laughed as we re-watched the chaos of our young family. When kids are little, life is full of piles: toys, clothes, and bodies too. Wrestling on the...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
500 Fridays Newsletter - 2 min read Season: The Cold Days (2 of 12) One Piece At A Time One of the biggest challenges of power-decade parenting is that your life is pulled in a thousand different directions. Being intentional to build connection and character with your kids can feel like a losing effort. The ability to focus on one child at a time seems as impossible as wrangling your squirming toddler to get their diaper on. In my early parenting days, I got overwhelmed and in my own head...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
500 Fridays Newsletter - 3 min read Season: The Cold Days (1 of 12) Last Name Power Scott.Nolen.Martin.Graves.Hannon.Wiseman.Matthews. These surnames likely mean nothing to you, but they meant everything to me as a young father. Every power-decade parent needs a list like this. These names were pillars for us. They represent families that I looked up to and learned from. I'm now two decades into being a dad and still learning from them. More important than what I took from them is what they...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead "Your children need to see you and your spouse being husband & wife, not just mom & dad." Family Traditions 🎶 It's the most wonderful time of the year 🎅🏽🎄 ... but is it always?? I guess it depends on who you ask, because the holidays are an amplifier for everything. GiftsMealsParties...PressureTraditionsExpectations The most wonderful time of the year does push everything front and center, both...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read Season: The Holidays (3 of 7) Please Vote! Choose your favorite MAIN TITLE for my self-published book... Family Fridays Power Decade Parenting 500 Fridays Together Families The Heart Years The Magic of Middle Years Working Subtitle ~ Stories & Strategies To Help Parents of 3-13 Year Olds Make A Decade Count Truths From Trees Sometimes there are great parenting lessons that are hidden inside other family groups. For instance, animal families have their own...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead You are in a competition for the heart of your son or daughter and you have hours, days, months, and years to win it. A Parent Kids Are Thankful For A lot of preparation goes into the meals we will share next week as a family. I once was able to just show up and eat because my parents took care of everything. They bought the food, they planned the sides, and they cooked the turkey. I’m at the stage...
3 months ago • 3 min read