How to Help Your Kids Manage Mobile Tech

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How to Help Your Kids Manage Mobile Tech

Welcome to this month’s online parenting class! This month we are going to talk about
kids, teens, and mobile tech. Yes, we are going to talk about cell phones and other
mobile tech gadgets this generation has had since they were babies. Yep, we did it. We
let our kids use our phones and tablets when they were little kids. Now those little
babies are grown and have their own devices.

There is no going back. Mobile tech is here to stay!

Our goal now is to help kids and teens learn to manage mobile tech. As adults, we have
our own mobile devices and we all have opinions about them now after a decade of
better and better tech. We love it and we hate it and we have to manage it. Our kids
need help managing it because they don’t have the skills we have as adults. Now is the
time to help your kids and teens learn to make mobile tech a part of their life and not
dominate their life.

Let me give you some thoughts that can help your children learn to manage the mobile
tech they have access to.

Tech is a privilege, not a right.

Never forget, your children don’t have to have their tablets, watches, and phones. Tech
is about adding to our lives not dominating our lives. Tech is a privilege and should be
treated that way. You provide your children with their devices and those devices should
be used in a way you approve of. We advise parents to use a tech contract to spell out
how you expect your kids to use their devices. When you spell out what you expect you
have every right to limit access to that tech when your kids choose to disobey.

No tech at meals.

This goes for the entire family. Leave mobile tech away from meals. Stop kids from
watching videos at meals and putting in headphones. Leverage meals as a time to have
real conversations, laugh, catch up, and learn how to live without the influence of tech.

Social Media accountability.

You should always have access to all your kids and teens social media accounts. If your
child is under 12 we recommend they have no social media, and older than 12, access
to it should be staggered and limited. You should be connected to your children on any
platform they use and if you see things that raise red flags you have every right to limit
access. As your children grow older your limit on social media should also get more
lenient. Social is just that, it’s social, so make sure you have a voice in that area for your
children.

Internet and cell bedtimes.

Never allow your children to have unlimited access to the internet all night because they
will stay up all night on it. There are many ways you can shut down the internet and the
cell phone data your children have at nights. Make sure your kids are clear when tech is
to be shut down so they can actually go to sleep. While we are talking about the internet
and data, lets talk about their browser access. Use your parental controls to limit
download of apps and also access to content on the internet. Your kids will watch what
you give them access to. Limit that!

Family fun that leaves tech alone.

Plan times where your family puts up the mobile tech and has some fun. Play a board
game. Plan a hike. Leave devices at home and go for a bike ride. Learn to hang out
without tech.

We want to encourage you to be aware of what your kids are using mobile tech for in
their lives. We love tech but we don’t want tech to wreck your family. Thanks for being
an active parent in the lives of your children and teens.

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Children don’t need to have a cellphone, tablet, or even a smart watch. They are all optional wants and privileges. Parents can choose wisely when they are allowed. #techparenting #nocellhome #takebacksummer #unplug

Tweet Two: Technology use in your home should always come with expectations, respect, and accountability. #momsmarts #dadwise #techsmart #parenting #parent

Tweet Three: Meals should always be technology free. There is nothing so important that a family meal should be interrupted. Pick up the burger, put down the phone, and connect to the people in front of you. #techfreemeal #familydinner #facetoface #parenting #familytech

Tweet Four: If your child is under that age of 12, they don’t need a social media account. The things they post as a immature pre-teen may live on with them as a teen, and maybe beyond. #smarttech #preteenparenting #under12 #socialmediawise

Tweet Five: Bedrooms and bedtime are for sleeping not scrolling. Have your kids leave the tech at the door so they can snore! #techfreesleep #phonefreezone #parenting #momsmarts #dadwise

Tweet Six: Family fun time means everyone turns off their tech so they can connect! Using your tech will make your family time a wreck! #familytime #techfreefun #parenting #advice #turnitoff

Raising Honest Kids

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Raising Honest Kids

Welcome to this months online parenting class! There is nothing more frustrating
than catching your kids in a pattern on lying. I promise it will make you want to pull your
hair out! This month we want to tackle the topic of honesty and how to raise honest
kids.

Honesty is a value, but honesty is not easy. Many times as a kid and as an adult
honesty is risky and costly. Honesty fuels trust in the long term but for a kid, it’s
momentarily easier to tell a lie. Raising honest kids begins with helping our kids
understand the tension between the benefit and difficulty of honesty. It never helps kids
when we hold honesty up as a standard without helping them navigate the tension of
choosing honesty.

The Scriptures say this about honesty…

Proverbs 11:3
The integrity of the honest keeps them on track; the deviousness of crooks brings them
to ruin.

Honesty keeps us on track where lies lead to trouble. It’s important that our kids know
we want them to live an honest life not just tell truth when we ask them if they brushed
their teeth. Telling the truth in small things leads to being truthful in big things…in life.
Here are a few tips to help you raise honest kids…

Challenge lies and reward and praise all honesty.

Don’t let little lies slip. Challenge your kids when you catch that they are not being truth
tellers. We know it’s easy to let those things go and hope kids get better, but honesty is
a learned habit. While you challenge lies make sure and praise honesty. If your child
admits to a lie, give grace; forgive, then course correct. Honesty should be rewarded.

Model honesty.

Kids need to see you be a truth teller. Work hard to show them what honesty looks like as you interact with your family. When you mess up, tell the truth and apologize. When you make commitments to other people follow through. When it would be easy to lie find a way to tell the truth in love. Model what you want from your kids.

Watch for bad influences.

Your kids’ friends have a deep influence on them. Your kid’s social media access also
has a big influence on them. Be present enough to know the people around your kids
and to be able to call out dishonest influences. When kids get around people who are
dishonest many times they pick up the habit. Keep a steady eye on who is influencing
your child.

To have kids of character lead them in that direction! Praying for you as you invest in
your child this month.

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Raising honest kids begins with helping our kids understand the tension
between the benefit and difficulty of honesty. #honestkids #honestparenting #parenthelp #jesusmama #christiandad #parenting

Tweet Two: Truth in small things leads to being truthful in big things in the life of our
kids. Teach your kids honesty now while they are small, so they will begin honest lives. #honestpolicy #truthtraining #parenting #momlove #dadlove #raisingkids

Tweet Three: Honesty is a learned habit; so is dishonesty.Teach your kids the habit of
honest words and honorable actions. #honesty #truth #godlyparents #dadlife #momtruth

Tweet Four: Kids need to see their parents as truth tellers in life; otherwise, they will not
believe them in the most importance truths of God. #truth #truthtellers #truthfulparent #momtruth #dadtruth

Tweet Five: It is a parent’s role to call out untruth in the life of their child, whether it is
verbal, written, or digital. Don’t let dishonesty influence your child. #truth #lifestuff #watchfulmom #parenting #parentingtruth

Tweet Six: Kids of character are kids of truthful direction. Map a course of truth for the
road of life in your child. #truthroad #lifemap #kidtruth #character

How to Help Your Kids Deal with Anxiety

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How to Help Your Kids & Teens Deal with Anxiety

Welcome to this months online parenting class! This month we are going to process one
of the biggest issues we see facing our kids and teens. This month we are going to
tackle the issue of anxiety.

We hear from parents all the time that are walking their children through the battlefield
of anxiety. More and more kids are taking meds at an early age to confront these feeling
and emotions. The truth is anxiety is an issue that is not going away and many parents
feel stressed and alone when helping their children. We live in a different time than what
we experienced as children.

Our kids and teens have immediate access to all the world’s chaos on their phones.
Our kids hear all the time about all the opportunities they have in life and how they need
to work hard. Our kids are trapped by constant comparison because of the often
controlled, fake, happy lives we see on social media.

Things are different. How our kids cope with anxiety is going to be different. We can’t
answer all the questions about the issue but we can give you a few tips to guide you…

Allow them to voice anxiety and just listen.

So many times with anxiety there are fears underneath that need to be uncovered and
spoken out loud. It’s no help to explain anxiety away. It may not seem valid to you, but it
is very real to your son or daughter. Many times we just need to listen and allow them to
process what they are feeling. Ask questions and work to understand what is going on.
If your child or teen will not talk to you, then find a counselor that can help them begin
talking.

Speak the truth in a way that they can understand.

Anxiety is always rooted in some kind of manufactured fear of what could be or what
could go wrong. Confronting anxiety begins with leading kids and teens toward truth in a
way they can understand. Speaking truth in a way they can process may take many
conversations but it is worth the consistent dialogue. You can be a truth-teller for your
kids in a world full of lies they are tempted to embrace.

Encourage overcoming and facing what is causing anxiety.

Help your children and teens find ways to confront anxiety instead of hiding in fear.
Anxiety causes all of us to retreat from life because of the unknown. It’s important to
lead your children toward the brave steps of confronting what is causing them anxiety
so they can break free of it or at least understand it better.

Celebrate current victories over anxiety and remind them of past victories in the future.

When your children overcome their fears and the anxiety celebrate, but be ready to
remind them of that victory when the anxiety shifts. Anxiety is a moving target. Anxiety
changes shapes. Be ready to remind your children of their past victories!
We know this can be a difficult battle. Look for friends around you that you can talk to
about these issues and if you need to connect with a counselor for help, do it. We are
proud of you for being present for your kids and teens!

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Our kids are trapped by constant comparison because of the often
controlled, fake, happy lives they see on social media. #reallove #parentlife
#worryfreekids #mom #dad #anxiety

Tweet Two: Confronting anxiety begins with leading kids and teens toward truth in a way they
can understand. #speaktruth #confrontworry #parentlife #momtruth #dadlife

Tweet Three: Celebrate current victories over anxiety and remind your children of past
victories to empower them in the future. #anxious4nothing #worryfree
#momcare #wisedad

Tweet Four: Anxiety is a moving target; smart parents aim their efforts ahead of it to
keep their kids worry free. #childhoodanxiety #worryfree #targetanxiety
#mother #father #familylife

Tweet Five: Don’t worry about anything, but rely on God because He cares for your
kids. #godcares #worryfree #anxiety #dontworry

Tweet Six: 80 percent of kids with a diagnosable anxiety disorder and 60 percent of
kids with diagnosable depression are not getting treatment. Find Help,
Don’t Wait! #childhoodanxiety #depression #worry #parenthelp
#familyhelp

Family Rules for Sleepovers

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Family Rules for Sleepovers

One day your child runs into the house just off the school bus and is so excited about meeting a new friend at school. They hit it off so well and had a blast and they immediately ask if they can go over and spend the night! They are thrilled and we are terrified internally. Who is this new kid? Who are their parents? What should you say in the moment?

We have all been there. I remember the first moments of figuring out how to handle this request and realizing that this is not something I had really ever thought of before. Somehow sleepover rules never were a priority until the request finally came and they suddenly mattered immensely. This month we want to help you think about creating your own family rules for sleepovers.

When you think through sleepover you are really protecting your kids. You should never say yes to a sleepover situation that you don’t trust. This goes for a camp, retreat, or night away with one of their friends. You need to know where they are going and who will be there and what the rules are of the place your child is heading. When you allow your child to spend the night away you are trusting another adult to make sure your child is safe. You want to make sure your child has a good experience and it not exposed to an awkward or dangerous situation. I’m not trying to blow this out of proportion but when kids are away overnight they can encounter all kinds of situations that you would not approve of.

Let’s think through a few family rules you might want to consider…

• Don’t allow kids to spend the night anywhere you don’t know the other parents or adult leaders. // Before you allow kids to go away make sure you know who they are going with. This rules gives you time to check out folks on social media, set up a coffee meeting, or invite the family over for dinner. This gives you time to sense if you trust where they will be going.
• Make sure your kids know your boundaries. // Let your child know that your rules at home apply when they area away. This is important for what movies they watch or where they go. Be clear with what you expect.
• Make sure kids know rules about where to sleep. // Make sure your child knows to never sleep alone in another home that’s new. They should always be in the room with their friend. You never know what other kids might be at the other home or event.
• Ensure your child knows how to reach you. // If your child is away they have to know how to reach you. They need to know how to grab a phone and text or call you when they are away.
• Say no to any sleepover you don’t feel good about. // Leverage no in order to protect your child. You can have the other child over the play if you don’t feel good about an overnight. You can agree to pick them up before bedtime if they go to another house. Stand your ground when you sense something is off.

Avoid the panic of the next request for a sleepover and go ahead and create your own family sleepover rules!

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Sleepover rules are never a priority until the request finally comes and they suddenly matter immensely. What are your family’s rules for sleepovers? #sleepover #rule #familyrules #parentingwin #familylife #children #mommy #daddy

Tweet Two: You should never say yes to a sleepover situation that you don’t trust. You have permission to say no or ask questions for the safety of your kids. #sleepover #rule #familyrules #parentingwin #familylife #children #momtrust #dadtrust

Tweet Three: Your child’s first sleepover must be a good experience and not exposing your child to an awkward or dangerous situation. Have rules. Ask questions. #sleepover #rule #familyrules #safefamily #momquestions #dadrules

Tweet Four: Sleepovers are a rite of passage and huge moment in the life of your child. Make sure they are safe, know the rules, and can get a hold of you if needed. #sleepover #rules #familylife #safefamily #momlife #dadlife #children

Tweet Five: Should my children have a sleepover at a non-Christian’s house? A helpful perspective https://markdriscoll.org/should-we-let-our-kids-stay-with-non-christians-to-evangelize-them/

Leveraging the Dinner Table

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Leveraging the Dinner Table

This month we want to talk about dinner! Not cooking dinner but rather leveraging dinner as a place of connection for our families. Growing up many of us remember family dinners as an almost daily part of family life. Each night we slowed down and gathered around a table together. What we all ate at dinner was different from family to family but the common bond was being together. Some of us loved it, some survived, and some of us never want to go back because we would have to eat our broccoli!

What happened when our family gathered together each day was that we actually had conversations. We shared what happened that day. We told stories. We picked on each other. We actually connected and it was normal.

Many of us miss this rhythm in our current family routine. We rush out the door in the morning to school. We eat lunch at work or school. With all the different events we have to attend after school, we often eat dinner at different times. What we miss with this modern schedule is that we miss time to connect. One of the best times to connect with our families is over a meal.

I’m not talking about dinner out. That’s full of distractions. I am talking about a regular rhythm of a meal at home where you can actually slow down and connect. You don’t have to be a great cook since we are blessed with glorious take out options. You also don’t have to make it happen every night. We are taking about several nights a week where we protect our schedule and plan time to sit around the table to share a meal. Here are a few ways we can leverage dinner as a family each week…

• Link dinner with something else that brings connection. // Dinner and a family show you watch together. Dinner and a board game. Dinner and ______! You can connect dinner nights with something else fun.
• Have a question each meal. // Leverage a question that everyone around the table can answer. As your kids get older questions change but intentional questions spark connection.
• Have a quick family devotional and time of prayer. // Have someone in the family share a thought from the Bible and then pray together as a family. Your church provides tools that can help.
• Let kids plan the meal once a week. // Get kids involved in cooking or planning the meal. It’s just fun and making it fun will make it stick as a family.
• Embrace dinner nights as a priority. // Schedule your week so this time becomes a priority meaning you say no to other things that might break the tradition. You will never regret making these memories.

This month give this a shot and see how your family comes together!

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Join the movement, Family Meals Matter! https://www.fmi.org/family-meals-month/meals-matter #familymeals #family #parenting #dadlife #momlife #godlyparenting #eattogether

Tweet Two: Have a family meal around a table in chairs facing each other, Human community happens in circles! #familymeals #dinnerdad #mealswithmom #parenting #dinnertable

Tweet Three: When a family gathers around a table, there are opportunities to have conversations! #familydinner #suppertime #sitandshare #parenting #fam #familyandfood

Tweet Four: Take several nights a week to protect your schedule and plan time to sit around the table with your family to share a meal. #dinnertime #mealtime #familyfood #parenting #tabletalk #mom #dad

Controlling Technology

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Controlling Technology

We all love and hate technology. We depend on it for so many things but we are all beginning to see that it seems to be changing our lives in unexpected ways. As parents, we have an even bigger burden in that we have to help our kids navigate their access to technology. How much should a child be playing video games? How much TV should they watch a day? Should we allow them to have a cell phone? How do we keep them from stumbling on adult content online?

Let’s be honest. It’s overwhelming and a little frightening because there is no rule book for this topic. Everyone has a hot take on the what they believe technology is doing to our children. Everyone seems to have a different set of rules for their kids. Everyone has an opinion they want to give you as a mom or dad. This month we want to step away from all the fear and process how we can gain control of technology in our homes.

You can’t escape the reach of technology but you can help your children develop a healthy relationship with it. Controlling technology really is about forming healthy habits with tech from an early age. It’s never too late to establish healthy tech habits but the earlier you begin this process the better it is for the family. The time to start working to control tech in your home is today and not tomorrow. The encouraging news for all of us as parents is that when you look at controlling technology as healthy habits you embrace the blessing of time. Establishing healthy tech habits is going to take time. This is a process and here are a few steps you can take to get the ball rolling…

• Set a good example for your kids with tech. // Your kids are learning lessons about technology from how you use technology. Think about the message you are sending your children with how you consume technology. You set the tone with tech in your home with your tech habits.
• Limits are good for everyone. // Think about how much time you want your kids using technology and set limits. Limits are like bed times; they move as kids get older. There are great online tools like Circle that you can connect to your Wi-Fi to monitor your kid’s devices and give them time with certain apps!
• Create tech free moments. // Find times where you intentionally get your children away from tech so they can do other times. Reading time, art time, outside play time are great places where life can be tech free. You may even want to limit kids watching movies in the car when you are driving around town just to give them tech free time.
• Limit access with confidence. // Every tablet and streaming platform has controls to filter content. Leverage these immediately. Never give your child unfiltered access to television or the internet.
• Say no to social media with kids. // Your 4th grader does not need social media. Please, please, please wait to give your kids a social media avenue until they are 12 years old. Kids do not need social media in their lives.

If you take these simple steps as a parent you will be doing so much more than the average parent. Habits with technology created today will give you more leverage when they are teens.

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: You can’t escape the reach of technology, but you can help your children develop a healthy relationship with it. #parenting #family #techparenting #healthykids #godlyparenting

Tweet Two: It’s never too late to establish healthy tech habits, but the earlier you begin this process the better it is for the family. #mom #dad #techhabits #familylife #familymin #parentmin #healthytech

Tweet Three: Your kids learn habits about technology, good and bad, from how they see parents use technology. #parentinglife #modernparent #momlife #dadlife #godlydad #healthymom

Tweet Four: Creating tech free moments in your home will create moments for you to focus on the people in the room, not online. #techfree #parenting #familymoments #mom #dad #kidtech

Tweet Five: Every device your child owns has filters and controls. Your kids should never have unfiltered access to the Web and TV, so turn them on and turn off the negative influences. #filteredfamily #webcontrol #tvfilters #parenting #smartmom #smartdad

The Power of the Family Goal

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The Power of the Family Goal

In our fast-paced culture, it’s easy to feel like our families are coming apart at the seams. The more our schedules pack full of activity the less we see each other at home. Mom is racing one kid to basketball practice and dad is running another to ballet. Dinner might happen together once a week with all the things going on. Then there is the pressure mom and dad feel from work or the master’s degree that is a few years from being finished. Many families can relate to this pace and most of us feel overwhelmed. Where has our “family life” gone?

This month we want to help you get a grip on that “out of control” pace and find a way to unite your family in a common direction. We want to talk about the power of family goals!

When you think about goals you probably think about the gym or work. We leverage goals all the time in other areas of our lives but rarely do we leverage goals with our family. Maybe our family feels out of control because we are not headed in any specific direction. We are just moving from crisis to crisis. We don’t know what to say yes or no to. We are just moving day to day on autopilot. Having a goal brings direction. When we have a family goal or several family goals then we solve so much of the chaos we are experiencing.

Embracing goals in your family life is more simple than you think. A family goal is a priority that the entire family rallies around. Family goals are also not eternal; they change from season to season. A family goal could be mom tackling her master’s degree. Another could be helping your youngest bring her math grade up. A fun goal could be save enough money for new pool in the back yard. A spiritual goal could be to not miss Sunday service at church for 6 months. The important thing about a family goal is that it’s clear to everyone in the family and it shapes all the other choices the family is making. The goal brings clarity!

So, let me give you some family goal tips to think about…

• Choose family goals with your spouse and include your kids. // Family goals have to have buy in with your spouse first and then your kids. Make sure everyone understands the goal and talk about it often.
• Place time boundaries on your family goals. // Goals need time limits. Goals have to be measurable and limited in scope. Make sure you put a time frame on your family goals.
• Celebrate when family goals are met! // This is so big. Family goals that end in celebration teach the entire family to process what’s next because they want to celebrate again. Everyone loves winning and accomplishing goals.
• Use your family goal as a way to stay balanced as a family. // You can’t do everything. Your family can’t do everything either! Use your family goals to choose what your family does or doesn’t do. Leave the fear of missing out behind and focus on your goals!

This month let’s try and leverage goals so we can calm the chaos in our homes. Use your next family goal to get your family life back!

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: We leverage goals all the time in other areas of our lives, but rarely do we leverage goals with our family. #familygoals #familylife #smartparent #parenting #momlife

Tweet Two: A family goal is a priority that the entire family rallies around. Family goals are also not eternal, but they are important for this life on earth. #familygoals #familylife #smartparent #parenting #smartdad #goals

Tweet Three: Family goals are a way to refocus on the real targets of your life and family; get goals and get your life back! #familygoals #familylife #smartparent #parenting #dadlife

Tweet Four: Family goals need to have a time limit so you know how to measure success and celebrate the win. #familygoals #familylife #smartparent #parenting #familywins

Tweet Five: Use your family goal as a way to stay balanced as a family. No goals, No balance. Stop watching the tightrope of your schedule with your eyes closed! #familygoals #familylife #smartparent #parenting #dad #mom #homelife

Helping Your Child Be More Confident

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Helping Your Child Be More Confident

It’s so incredible to watch our kids mature and grow through the years. There are
parenting moments when you see your kids mature right in front of your eyes and it
always surprises us in a good way! In those moments, we are reminded that our time
with them is short. I know that’s a hard thought to think about but this month we want to
help you capture the time you have and be more strategic than ever. This month we
want to talk about how to help your kids become more confident.

Confidence is one of those things that most kids need help with. Now your child may be
outgoing and courageous but there will come a time when you see them lack
confidence. Any moment your child faces where they must step into the unknown can
bring out debilitating fear in them. We know the feeling even as adults. We have to start
a new job. We move to a new church. We have a meeting with a large group of people
we don’t know. We often feel insecure and we are adults. Now imagine how your child
feels when they start a school year, sport, or face a family move to a new city. What can
we do to help them be more confident when facing the unknown?

Confidence is something we see God reveal in the Bible often. We read stories about
people in days past that confidently trusted God to deliver them. That kind of confidence
is available to us and our kids even today. In Psalm 57:7 we read about confidence…

“My heart is confident in you, O God; my heart is confident. No wonder I can sing your
praises!”

When we embrace confidence in God we can sing His praise through any challenge.
This is the kind of confidence we want to breathe into our children. We don’t want them
to trust their own ability but rather the strength of God. God can be trusted, therefore our
kids have a reason to be confident.

Here are a few simple ways we can inspire more confidence in our kids…

• Don’t dismiss fear, confront it. When your child is insecure never dismiss it as
  silly. Allow your kid to open up and learn how to share how they feel. When you
  listen, you get the chance to help them really identify what is driving the fear!
• Teach kids to pray for confidence.  It’s up to us to help our kids understand that
  when they are insecure they can turn to God. This is when faith becomes real.
  God actually cares about our lives and kids need to know they can turn to God.
• Allow kids to experience risk. We all want to protect our kids but there are times
  we have to allow them to face risk so they can develop more confidence. Allow
  them to go into a new class and make new friends. Allow them to deal with the
  unknown. The right amounts of risk lead to conversations and lessons learned.
• Celebrate courage. Point out when your kid has done something courageous
  and celebrate that step. It’s so important that we as parents speak confidence into their tiny hearts. They need to know how proud we are of them even if it was just a small step of confidence.

We hope this helps give you a place to start when it comes to your child and
confidence. Thanks for allowing us to invest in your family.

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Capture moments of change in the life of your child as times to be intentional and strategic. #confidentkids #parenting #changes #familyfaith

Tweet Two: Confidence is something we see God reveal in the Bible often. We need to read those stories to our children to teach them to confidently trust God too. #readthestory #livethestory #confidence #parenting #familylife #mom

Tweet Three: When we embrace confidence in God we can sing His praise through any challenge. This is the kind of confidence we want to breathe into our children. #parentpraise #familiyworship #teachconfidence #momfaith #dadfaith

Tweet Four: When you listen to your child’s fears, you get the chance to help them really identify what is driving them. #nofear #listen #parenting #faithandfamily

Tweet Five: Faith becomes real to a child when they see us pray with confidence. #confidentmom #confidentdad #familyprayer #mom #dad #parenting

Tweet Six: Allowing our children to take risks allows them to develop their confidence and their faith. #parent #parenting #familyfaith #confidence #riskyfaith

Embracing The Power of Schedule

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Video Script

Embracing The Power of Schedule

Being a kid is such a wild experience, and it’s an experience we all get one time on our life. Think back for a minute to your favorite parts of being a kid. It could be time with friends in a neighborhood. It could be memories with your grandparents. It could be adventures with your parents on yearly vacations. The common link is that the times we remember often come from unexpected places on holidays or weekends. They surprise us and stick with us.

The rest of childhood is a maze of figuring out how day-to-day life works. What our kids don’t know is that the parents are trying to figure things out also. As our kids move from grade to grade many parents forget the power of a simple idea that helps kids thrive. That tool parents forget about is the simple schedule. In this online parenting class we are going talk about how we can embrace the power of schedule.

We tend to think of schedules as helpful tools for preschoolers and focus on them less and less as kids move into grade school, but they are still desperately needed. Schedules take anxiety and uncertainty out of our children’s lives. We are giving our children clear expectations and a plan when we give them a set schedule. There are times in every week when no schedule is needed and everyone can choose what they want to do, but during the week schedules help everyone stay sane and healthy!

I know there may be some pushback, but this month let me suggest 5 areas you can set on your schedules that will help your kids succeed!

Homework

I have never met a child or parent that loved homework, but, trust me, it’s going to show up. When you set a schedule for when homework will be tackled you have a better shot of not allowing it to cause arguments. Set a normal routine so you and your kids know this is the time to accomplish it and ask you for help.

Sleep

Your 4th grader needs sleep! Studies have shown that sleep is one of the key indicators of children having success in school. Many parents allow their kids to decide when they head to bed, but that will always go poorly for everyone. Hold to a tight schedule for bed so each night has a better flow.

Tech and Media

Tech and media are fun and dangerous resources for our children. If you don’t set a schedule for when your children can be on devices they will always default to excess. Work with your kids, and make a firm schedule for tech use during the week and a plan for the weekend.

Play, Reading, Creating

Kids need space to have fun not involving technical devices. They need time to read books and the Bible. They need time to make and break things. They need to play and explore. Make a schedule for your kids to have this kind of time each week.

Mom and Dad Time

This is the best schedule we will talk about. Your kids need schedules so you and your spouse have time each day to actually connect, relax, and recharge. Leverage the schedule for kids so you as a couple can have a chance to actually sit down each night.

Schedules can be a good thing! Give it a shot this month.

Texts/Tweets

TIP: Choose a hashtag for your tweets and use it consistently. That will tell Twitter to store a list of your tweets on one place for later reference.

Tweet One: Parents forget the power of a simple idea that helps kids thrive; parents forget about the tool of a simple schedule. #parentinghack #schedule #parent #momlife #dadlife #parenttools

Tweet Two: We are giving our children clear expectations and a plan when we give them a set schedule. #parent #parenting #mom #dad #clearplan #parenttools

Tweet Three: Set a schedule for when homework will be tackled. You have a better shot of not allowing it to cause arguments. #parentadvice #momhack #homework #dadlife

Tweet Four: Sleep equals success in the life of your child. Set a regular bed time and you set your child up for a better tomorrow. #parenting #mommy #daddy #bedtime #successfulkid

Tweet Five: Kids need time to play and explore. Make a schedule to turn off the devices and go have real-life fun! #momfun #dadfun #nodevices #goexplore #goplay