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: The Significance of Slow Growth
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β β A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead
The Question: β"What did you guys do to create the lasting connectedness you have with your kids?" β βMy Reply: βWhatever we did, we always did it together. β 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 π¦ In the world of arboriculture (ok, that's just a fancy word for trees) we call a group either a Grove or Forest π²π²π²π² 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! FYI: Mom and Dad, you can always read old newsletters right here! β |
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 min read Season: The Cold Days (2 of 12) One Piece At A Time One of the biggest challenges of power-decade parenting is that your life is pulled in a thousand different directions. Being intentional to build connection and character with your kids can feel like a losing effort. The ability to focus on one child at a time seems as impossible as wrangling your squirming toddler to get their diaper on. In my early parenting days, I got overwhelmed and in my own head...
500 Fridays Newsletter - 3 min read Season: The Cold Days (1 of 12) Last Name Power Scott.Nolen.Martin.Graves.Hannon.Wiseman.Matthews. These surnames likely mean nothing to you, but they meant everything to me as a young father. Every power-decade parent needs a list like this. These names were pillars for us. They represent families that I looked up to and learned from. I'm now two decades into being a dad and still learning from them. More important than what I took from them is what they...
Family Friday Newsletter - 2 min read by: Finley Robinson A Single Sentence from a Season Ahead "Your children need to see you and your spouse being husband & wife, not just mom & dad." Family Traditions πΆ It's the most wonderful time of the year π π½π ... but is it always?? I guess it depends on who you ask, because the holidays are an amplifier for everything. GiftsMealsParties...PressureTraditionsExpectations The most wonderful time of the year does push everything front and center, both...