A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead
A few close friends who care deeply about your kids can be the difference between a small hiccup and a big mistake in their lives.
Farming FactsI come from a farming family. My great-grandfather purchased our family farm and his son, my grandfather, expanded it even more. I think it's the farming legacy of my family that instilled in me the value of long-term investments. There is an old wise farm saying that has resonated with me for years... The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is today. Said differently, don't wait to do something now that will have a long-lasting impact years down the road. Build Their TeamI had coffee with a young dad this week who has 3 daughters. We talked about their neighborhood of friends and the young boys he gets to invest in too. He's building a team of parents and protectors for his girls. I have written before about the importance of building relational insurance for your kids. Another way to think about this concept is to build a team of voices that will carry your children through the power-decade of their life and beyond. Looking back now, I'm so glad that we "planted the tree" 20 years ago of other people who could speak into the lives of our kids besides just mom & dad. The great thing, is that a team of people can look different for every family. I believe it is important that you get started now if you haven't already. Of course, you'll always want to keep an open dialogue going between you, your kids, and any team members you allow into your family. Potential Team MembersHere is a breakdown of the kinds of people we were fortunate enough to have on our "Family Team" over the years.
Skills & Values LearnedThe 20-year list is long, but here are many of the benefits I've seen in our kids that were learned from the team that surrounded them. Fun Another ancient saying that reaffirms this idea states it this way... It takes a village to raise a child. I imagine it was an old farming community somewhere that first crafted that idea. With one eye on your kids and another watching closely for the right team members, I promise that you'll be thankful for the payoff. The long-term tree-planting effort of building a team around your kids should start today if it hasn't already. See You Next Friday - Finley |
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 Newsletter - 3 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead One of the gifts you can give your kids is to be a brick wall in a few carefully chosen areas of their life. No More Scale How often do you feel guilt as a parent? Somedays I wonder if parents in the 1950s felt guilt in a similar way as parents today or if it's a more modern feeling. They probably did, but still, I wonder. More than any other stage, when you're in the power-decade of parenting, the...
Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead Freedom as a parent arrives when you accept that you're going to get a lot right and also a lot you wish you did differently. How Did You Do It? I get this question about once a week from young parents I talk with. Maybe it's because I don't have the 😩 look on my face as much anymore like most parents of 3-13 year olds. Maybe it's because when I talk about my kids now my face is more 🤩 than it has...
Family Friday Newsletter - 3 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead Parenting is a lot like gardening, where beauty only arrives on the other side of tedious effort. Teach Delayed Gratification A lot has changed for families since my wife and I became parents 20 years ago. The biggest and most noticeable difference I see today is the speed to appease that is possible in our society. Think about how quickly someone in your family can think of something they want and...