Helping propel moms & dads of 3 to 13 year-olds to invest in their power-decade of parenting. Father of 3 teenagers and pastor of 20 years turned digital writer.
Family Friday: Don't Stop Telling Stories
A Single Sentence from a Season AheadGrace-filled homes recognize that individual growth can take years and leave room for "the imperfect and never finished."
Stories Shape FuturesKids gravitate towards great stories. So many of them follow The Heroes Journey. Classics like Moana or Toy Story are legendary kids movies because of how well they accomplish this. Stories in the lives of your kids, end up shaping and molding them. Stories capture their mind and heart. They are big and powerful. They create awe and wonder. They generate hopes and dreams. Stories aren't only fantasy. They are also the easiest point of leverage that we have to teach and connect with our kids. Stories are sticky. We tried to have a story filled home, though more often it felt like a correction facility. As adults, our lives are directed by the stories we grew up believing in and the the ideas we hold on to today. As parents, the stories we tell our kids reveal what we believe matters. Think about what you gravitate towards and end up sharing with your 3-13 year old... Stories of rags to riches. The types of people or actions you endorse in your stories are the characteristics your kids will find honorable and repeatable. The books you read together. Your stories chart a course for your children. The lesson: choose your stories wisely because your stories shape your children's futures. See you next Friday,
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Power-Decade Parenting
Helping propel moms & dads of 3 to 13 year-olds to invest in their power-decade of parenting. Father of 3 teenagers and pastor of 20 years turned digital writer.
500 Fridays Newsletter - 2.5 min read Season: The Springtime (4 of 11) Becoming "That" House Having a family culture where your teenage kids want to bring their friends over to hang out is easier said than done. Many (but not all) of my friends that I talked to over the years wanted their house to be a place where teenagers gathered. Whether kids showed up after ball games, came over for board games or just needed to crash for the night, having a welcoming teenage home is a goal for many...
500 Fridays Newsletter - 2 min read Season: The Springtime (3 of 11) Your Best At Their Worst For my oldest it was 3rd.For my youngest it was 6th.For my middle child, it was 5th. Personally, I think my middle had it the worst. Given enough time at school, one year is always going to stand out from the rest as the worst year for each of your kids. The problem is, that year seems to last forever when you are in it. My son's worst year is the one I recall the most. It was full of tears, tummy...
500 Fridays Newsletter - 3 min read Season: The Springtime (2 of 11) Big Expectations When we were raising young kids, I'll admit that I had unrealistic expectations when we spent time together as a full family of 5. It happened in small doses when we ate dinner or worked on projects around the house together. But if I had abnormal sized dreams on a regular Thursday night, they were exponentially higher when we went on family vacations. I have been accused by my wife of being too much like...