parenting
There’s a new episode of The Empowered Parent Podcast, and we’re discussing the new movie Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, which revolves around a small church in a small east Texas town that decided it was going to take the Biblical command to look after widows and orphans quite seriously.
Twenty-two families adopted 77 children out of the Texas foster care system, and not just any 77 children. They asked for “the ones no one else wants.” Listen as we discuss our thoughts on the film. 🎦
The Meta Quest commercial with the soon-to-be dad assembling the crib is sweet, but WHY IS HE NOT DOING IT IN THE NURSERY?
YOU THINK IT’S FITTING DOWN THAT TINY HALLWAY??
Spending the morning watching this kid do his thing on the lacrosse fields. Complete team effort in the first matchup, resulting in an 8-1 win. Tougher competition in the next game.
Eight years ago today, the first episode of The Empowered Parent Podcast (aka, the Tapestry Empowered to Connect Podcast) was published.
It’s been a great run with Ryan and Kayla, over 160 episodes to date, over 600,000 downloads, no telling how many streams from various platforms, listeners from all over the world. Can’t wait to see where we go in the next 8 years!
It’s incredibly humbling to be stopped by a stranger at a conference, and they can tell you the exact day in May 2017 when their life changed as a parent, because they heard your voice introducing a podcast episode about how traditional parenting doesn’t work for kids who have suffered trauma.
Excuse me, I’m a little verklempt.
The latest episode of The Empowered Parent Podcast was recorded in front of a live audience at Replanted Conference. We chat with host Currey Blanford: empoweredparent.podbean.com/e/replant…
You know a cold is kicking your butt when you are talking to your 12 year-old and he asks, “Dad, why are you talking like that?”
On the latest episode of The Empowered Parent Podcast, we’re talking about fear responses, and how they drive behavior. (Ours, as well as our kids'.)
empoweredparent.podbean.com/e/fear-ep…
He'll never leave you or forsake you
I help administer a private group on Facebook for foster and adoptive dads, and posted this today for encouragement, because I needed it myself:
So lately I’ve been struggling with the strong wills of my boys, and of my own. The constant tug-of-war. My wife and I were talking about it over lunch today, because she shares in the frustration (she’s strong-willed as well), and I reminded her, as much as myself, that they act this way because they feel securely attached to us.
“Well, it would be nice if they weren’t complete JERKS about it!” she sighed. She didn’t use the word “jerks,” but I’m trying to keep this family-friendly.
I mention this because I know I’m not alone in being a dad frustrated with the behaviors of his kids from hard places. Especially when they’ve been in our home for so long (birth for two of them, 9 months old for the third, and they’re 16, 11, and 8 now), and it just doesn’t feel like things are getting better.
Then God decides to plant a reminder on you in an unexpected way. In an email newsletter unrelated to parenting, there was this verse of encouragement from Hebrews, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” God always has our back, and we just need to go to Him with our frustrations, seek His peace.
And because I’m an ’80s metalhead, this verse and the feeling behind it will always be enshrined for me in the opening song from Rage of Angels' self-titled, 1989, debut album:
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I’m doing important work here
I would go to Dad Land.
I would go so bad.
Take my money.
[vimeo 82595341 w=250 h=141]
Running off some energy from Chris Turner on Vimeo.
Eight hours in the car, and no backyard to play in like normal means going to to the empty corner of the hotel parking lot to bleed off some energy before bed time.
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“I’m fixing our food!”
After having lunch at a hibachi place with Mom, at dinner Samuel decided he wanted to take after the hibachi chef.
First time in the ocean on Flickr.
First time the boys have been in an ocean (even if it was only their feet this time). This was something of a scouting trip, taken at the end of a relaxing day around the resort.
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Getting some real laughs.
Of course, his giggles here aren’t nearly as hearty as they were just seconds before, before the camera made an appearance. Still, pretty great.
