Special Topics | Widen The Circle
How to Support Someone Through Grief
Chances are, you’ve got a friend or family member who is stumbling along their own personal journey of grief. In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, here are five ways, according to Stephanie, to best support them during tough seasons. Read More
Autism and the #BLESSED Life
Autism. Diagnosis code 299.00 Our toddler could barely walk when his future ran out on him. The slippery slope from diagnosis to the dissolution of dreams is steep and cruel. Regardless how rare a child’s condition, the heart of every special-needs parent tumbles into a universal pit of... Read More
Journeying Through a Tough Diagnosis
Sometimes you get news that should seem bad—devastating even, but sometimes that news comes with a sigh of relief. A peace that you never thought possible. That’s the feeling we felt when we finally got a diagnosis for our 4-year-old Dylan. After a little over a year of heartache,... Read More
Make It Personal | Special Topics
Hope Boomerangs Back
“Pray for others that you may be healed,” (James 5:16). These words wouldn’t leave me alone. I really needed some encouragement––a prayer, a note, anything. From somebody. From an “other.” Six months into my Josiah’s autism diagnosis, I was enticed by waves of despair. I needed someone to... Read More
High School (9th-12th) | Middle School (6th-8th) | Special Topics
The Suicide Talk
Why should I talk to my kids about suicide? According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. Around 45,000 people die every year by suicide. Comparatively, in 2017 there were around 17,200 reported homicides in the... Read More
Character and Values | Imagine The End | Special Topics
Why Showing Kindness to Your Spouse Matters to Your Kids
My wife and I worked with teenagers for many years, and one of the skills we learned was to ask great questions, which often lead to great conversations. Now we work with married people; but we get to practice those same skills on our own kids, who are... Read More
4 Ways to Show Your Kids Marriage Can Seriously Be Fun
This is a question I often ask myself as well as couples I work with. On the one hand, I hate it. The question implies that if my marriage isn’t perfect or if I have been through a divorce, somehow my kids’ marriages are doomed. On the other... Read More
Elementary (K-5th) | Special Topics
Helping Your Elementary Kid Understand How God Made Them
One of the bottom lines of parenting is not just raising obedient, or even happy kids, but rather raising responsible adults who love God, love others, and love themselves. In fact, the way your kids love God has a profound effect on everything else. It will impact how... Read More
Another Day in the Life of a Single Parent
I laughed when I read the tagline of this blog: “Do Family Better.” If I am totally honest, I think that is the one area I struggle most. As a single mom, there are days when I want to figure out where I put that darn cape—you know... Read More
Blending Families During the Holidays
It was our first Christmas Eve, the dishes were piled in the kitchen after a traditional New Mexican meal of Posole and fresh-made tamales. The tree was glistening and Christmas music filled the house. Fresh baked cookies and homemade candies overflowed tins to the delight every sweet tooth in the... Read More