There are so many places where our unmet expectations get in the way of connection with our kids. Chris, Ryan, and Kayla are joined again by Allison Highton, and they talk about these various expectations, which begin even before our kids come home. [podbean resource="episode=hkyhg-9021bf" type="audio-square" height="400" skin="8" fonts="Helvetica" auto="0" download="1" rtl="0"] Resources Mentioned in [...]
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From Pep Rally to Reality
I love going to conferences! Adoption and foster care, home school, women of God, marriage, to name a few. I love spending time learning from experts in the field. I love hearing stories from those who have failed and those who have found solutions. I always walk away from conferences feeling like I can do [...]
When Two Worlds Collide [Video]
Ryan had the opportunity to Keynote the 2017 Florida Adoptive/Foster Parent Association Annual Conference in Orlando last summer. Here is "When Two Worlds Collide" from that event.
Repair Your Mistakes
There’s a simple truth about parenting that we have all come to understand; we all mess up. No matter how hard we try we will do and say things we wish we hadn’t. We will find ourselves sounding like our parents no matter how often we promised ourselves we would parent differently than we were [...]
Schooling Options
[podbean resource="episode=aruwh-8ec05e" type="audio-square" height="400" skin="8" fonts="Helvetica" auto="0" download="1" rtl="0"] Chris, Ryan, and Kayla are joined by Allison Highton. Allison, along with her husband Russ, is an Empowered to Connect parent trainer in New Jersey. Allison works with Miriam's Heart, a non-profit adoption ministry that radically supports families who take action on behalf of adoptive and foster [...]
Make Play a Part of Every Day
The team discusses how playing with our kids is a great way to connect with them. Play is fun and disarming and makes us enjoy our kids as much as it makes them enjoy us. Play is the language of children but is sadly something most of us are no longer fluent in. [podbean resource="episode=f7ku6-8e4cf2" type="audio-square" height="400" skin="8" [...]
Reinforce the Relationship Before you Remind them of the Rules
It took me a long time to embrace the idea that we should connect first even when correction is obviously necessary. After all, isn't dealing with the natural consequences of breaking a rule a prime teachable moment? Like most of you, we don't allow our kids to run in the house. So, when one of [...]
Are You Looking for an Easy Way to Say “Yes” More?
Would you love to have a simple parenting tool you can start implementing right away that will help you build trust with your kids? There is one simple word that can make a huge difference... "YES!" An easy way to begin giving our kids more yes’s is to make a Yes Jar. https://vimeo.com/188710828 Here's what [...]
Learning to Trust
I really thought I trusted God. I have seen His faithfulness. I have experienced His love. He shows up every day when I need Him most. But faith is hard when you can't see the steps in front of you. Lately, I feel like I can't even see a staircase. I know it is there, [...]
Manage Your Expectations
We all have expectations. Expectations are normal. Expectations are healthy, but unrealistic expectations can create a barrier between us and our children. The expectations we bring to parenting matter just as much as our child’s history, abilities, and needs. In order to help our children heal and grow we need to pay attention to our [...]