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: Lions, Whales, Beavers, and Rhinos
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Stories & Strategies To Help Parents of 3-13 Year Olds Make A Decade Count
Truths From TreesSometimes there are great parenting lessons that are hidden inside other family groups. For instance, animal families have their own special names. Lions: A Pride ๐ฆ In the world of arboriculture (ok, that's just a fancy word for trees) we call a group either a Grove or Forest ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ There are a surprising number of great lessons that power-decade parents can learn from a family of trees. Slow vs Fast GrowthMost young tree saplings spend the early decades of life under the shade of their mother tree's canopy. Limited sunlight means that they grow slowly. Slow growth, of course, leads to hard, dense, and strong wood. Something entirely different happens if you plant a tree by itself out in an open field. Free from the shade of bigger trees, the sapling gorges itself on sunlight and grows too fast. Fast growth leads to soft, airy wood that doesn't have time to become dense. Soft, airy wood is a breeding ground for fungus, disease, and a much shorter life overall. A tree that grows fast also rots quickly and therefore never has a chance to grow old. Another invaluable effect of the grove for a young sapling is the root system. An old, dense, and sturdy tree has years of roots that run deep into the ground. A slow-growing tree in a grove has the benefit of intertwined roots that will benefit it for decades as it grows taller. An isolated tree, planted by itself, not only grows too quickly but lacks any of the supporting underground structures. 7 Parent Take-AwaysSo what can we learn from a family of trees that can affect your parenting for the next decade? Here are a few things we learned in our home...
Do you consider your home to be a "raise them slowly" kind of family? In what ways have you provided shade or kept your kids from growing up too quickly? I'd love to hear if you'd reply back and let me know! See you next Friday, |
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 Cold Days (7 of 12) Parents Understand Tough Love A while back, a viral video from TikTok made its way to my FYP (my kids tell me that means For You Page) and it stopped me cold. It was of a first-time mother horse and her foal. I had no idea how powerful and deep her maternal instincts were and it was the perfect example of how parents understand tough love. In the video, the mother is gently pushing her young foal toward the electric fence....
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...
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....