Family Friday Newsletter - 3.5 min read by: Finley Robinson

A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead

A Future Look 👀

The power-decade of parenting has some crazy time-warp realities built into it. Here are a few that we picked up on...

1. The amount of time from birth till your child can buckle their own car seat is the same amount of time they will spend in high school.
2. Somewhere around age 10, your kids will both make fun of you for being old and still be afraid of the dark.
3. The same child who can't pack their own lunch wants to be dropped off 100 yards from school for fear of being embarrassed.

When the house is full of bodies and the calendar is even fuller with activities, there are a lot of daily tensions that you feel as a parent. Sometimes you just need someone to talk you off the ledge. Thankfully, I had a lot of people do that for me.

When we were parents of young kids and got together with our friends, there was a lot of griping and complaining that we all did. Don't get me wrong, parents need a good vent session from time to time.

But from my vantage point, now that we are through our power-decade, I can tell you something about your kids that you don't know yet.

• Who they become will blow your mind.
• They will get there sooner than you think.

A couple of years ago I had the pleasure of watching my 14-year-old daughter command a room full of adults. She and I were asked to come and share about teenage cell phone culture with some parents of pre-teens she'd never met.

Of course she was nervous at first, but by the end of the night, she had stolen the show. They were hanging on her every word and taking notes.

They complimented her poise and ability to articulate a clear thought. She came across as real & authentic. She was able to help those parents understand what it's like to wrestle with social media and smartphones as a teenager today.

I knew she had it in her, but to be able to witness it from the chair sitting next to her was nothing less than a father's greatest joy. She was only 14 years old and had a lot of messes ahead of her BUT was able to do that at 14! At the time, I couldn't believe my little girl was that mature already.

So, how would I encourage you to be a brave mom or dad, investing in your kids & to keep moving forward? These three things should help:

1. The current state of your kids is completely unfinished.

Not seeing the finish line (not that there ever really is one) in your season is ok. You might be just starting with your first child or have several kids daily crammed into the minivan.

Being brave to stay in the regular rhythms of your life will produce good outcomes, I promise.

2. The reality of your stage of parenting can be defeating.

I was talking to a friend with 3 young boys recently and she mentioned how many times a day she says the word "no" vs "yes." I'm sure it feels like it's 100:1 for you most of the time too.

That's normal but it's also not your forever reality. As your kids mature, saying yes is so satisfying and you will get more opportunities someday.

Be brave to discern when to say both no and yes as often as it takes.

3. The future is better (but probably harder) than you think.

The truth is, I miss the smell of my kids after a bath. If I were to find one of their favorite board books somewhere on the shelf, I might stop and read it so I could remember those days.

I miss feeding our family for $16 at Chick-Fil-A instead of the $50+ it costs now. But I also love knowing more of who they are and watching the friendship they have together.

Parenting is the ultimate "grass is always greener" endeavor, so don't ignore tending to your own yard on a regular basis.

Being Brave 💪🏼

One of my favorite authors and podcasters (who also has similar age kids as me) shared these ideas about bravery that I adopted...

• Bravery is motion despite emotion.
• Bravery is action despite apprehension.
• Bravery is a willingness to move forward without knowledge of the finish line.

This Friday, I want to give you some hope and strength as a mom or dad to be brave. Why? Because I know you need it. Being brave and engaged now shows that you believe in the future of who your kids will become.

You possess in your hands the most impactful years you will ever have in the lives of your children.

Stay the course because someday, in the not-to-distance future, they will blow your minds with who they turn out to be.

Question for you: In what part of parenting are you most struggling to be brave right now? If you want to write me back and share or if you even need a little vent session, I'd love to hear about it.

See you next Friday,
Finley