Why I Love the Huge Dent in My Floor

In our kitchen, there is a huge dent in the floor. I see it every day. It is a reminder to me of the day in which I learned something important about myself when it comes to discipline.  It was a day when I saw myself in my son’s eyes and saw what I was […]

When Connecting with Kids Just Feels… Awkward

Have you ever tried to connect with your child and just felt… awkward? This is not uncommon. Parents sometimes express to us that connection can be awkward, such as, “We just aren’t a huggy family.” Feelings of awkwardness around one form of connection may be an indication that the family has other unique and effective ways […]

My Kids’ Messes Drive Me CRAZY!

For years I have struggled with the mess that our lively, spontaneous, creative, frequently disorganized children made at high speed. I used to call it “Trash and Dash.” Since their father has somewhat more “relaxed” standards of housekeeping than I do, household messes were a constant battle in which I felt hurt, alone, and resentful.

Connected Families in Ferguson, MO

brycen the kulture

Today we’d like to share with you a story we received from a dad who has been impacted by Connected Families and seen change not only in his parenting, but also in his urban ministry in Ferguson, MO. Brycen Marner is the founder of the Kulture, an urban ministry in North County Missouri. The Kulture […]

What Do I Do If I Don’t Like My Child?

Let’s face it: sometimes you find yourself saying, “I don’t like my child right now.” In Scripture, children are described as a heritage, a reward, a blessing from God, and lots of kids in the family means lots of blessing! (Psalm 127:3-5, Prov. 23:24) This is the ideal, but what’s real is that children are […]

Stay Committed to Your Parenting Goals with One Simple Reminder

  Parenting is a beautiful gift. It can also be some of the toughest work you’ll ever do. As we work to “train up our children in the way they should go,” sometimes it’s hard to keep focused on the big picture. We get angry. We get tired. We get frustrated. We default to our […]

Why You Don’t Need a New Parenting Strategy

John was fed up. He told me that everything he’d tried had failed. No matter what consequences or logic John put in place, his 6th grade son Ben just wouldn’t take responsibility for getting himself up and moving and out the door on time for school. Before getting into some strategies I thought might help I […]

Love – No Matter What!

For I am convinced that neither arguing nor defiance, neither sibling conflict nor disrespect, neither bad grades nor failure, neither whining nor lying, neither forgetfulness nor messes, nor any other misbehavior will be able to separate you from my love or from God’s amazing Love. Romans 8:38-39 as adapted by Connected Families Download here.

Why “It Is NOT OK to Talk That Way!” Doesn’t Work

There are many ways in which parents intentionally or unintentionally model positive character qualities: self-control, caring, diligence, faithfulness, etc. But we can also model negative character qualities, especially when we’re not thoughtful!