A Single Sentence from a Season AheadKnowing each child individually helps create a beautiful bond between you both.
We Didn't "Cherish Every Season"If there's one emotion that parents don't need while raising a young family, it's shame. It's that feeling of pain or guilt that emerges when mom or dad realizes they don't measure up. I have felt it on many occasions and I reckon you have too. I remember taking my kids to the entrance of certain rides at Disney when they were little. We walked up to the board only to discover they were a few inches short of the required minimum height. The look on their face was impossible to bear. So much disappointment when they were told they couldn't experience the fun of the ride. That same look of disappointment shows up on young parent's faces all the time and it happens when they hear this three-word-phrase... Cherish Every Season. I hated being given those instructions from older parents. Why? Well, because when you are honest about whatever season you're currently in there is plenty of hard that you won't cherish. Teething is hard. Picky eaters are hard. Learning multiplication is hard. Cliques are hard. Dinner every night is hard. Cherish Every Season was consistent parenting advice we received that never sat well with me and I've never passed along to others. What it attempts to communicate is that the older parent misses the best parts of specific seasons. Instead what that phrase does is it minimizes the hard parts of your season. In doing so, a cycle of shame repeats itself over and over. Instead of being honest about the hard and appreciating each season's sweetness, parents are told they don't measure up if they can't cherish every season. Don't Suffer In ShameThere are things I miss about having little kids running around my house. There are also a lot of hard realities that I'm thankful are behind me too. Be as present as you can in each season with your kids and fight against hurrying them along too fast. Why? Because ... Smash cakes are special. After the bath snuggles are wonderful. The first goal scored is beautiful. Campfire s'mores are delicious. The first sleepover is lovely chaos. Doing their own laundry is magnificent. Talent shows are entertaining.
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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...