Blessing Not Stressing - Happy Parenting

Incremental Improvement Whether we look out ourselves or our children, there is a desire to get better.  We may strive for perfection, but we all know that is impossible.  Nevertheless, it is not uncommon to push ourselves and our children to at least become "the best."  However, this also is not really feasible.  It also is a big goal to lay on anyone.  Instead, let's work on building habits that allow us to become better day by day.  This approach is much more achievable and can still lead to great results.  It just takes time. Every journey can be broken down into a series of steps.  We can look at this fact to provide into accomplishing any goal.  Even the big, dreamer kind of goals we like to place on our children.  Instead of focusing on the big goals, focus on the steps to advance towards a goal or goals.  This provides regular victories and easily achievable goals that avoid burnout and discouragement. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.ap

Get Over Yourself Parents can get wrapped up in parenting at times.  We have so much on our minds that we take the easy way out.  We focus on rules and guidelines in our homes and for our children.  As we dwell on these rules we suck the humanity and love out of our relationships.  Instead of well-balanced children, we create sticklers for the letter of the law. Our kids need a break from the struggles of life just like we do.  It is ok to take a "night off" and let your kids slide on those "nice to have" rules we setup for them.  This includes things like chores, proper behavior, and even cleanliness.  Skipping a tooth brushing does not create a cavity.  Yes, you want to create habits, but occasionally allow for some easing of those rules so your kids can enjoy their childhood.  Never fear, you can return to parenting the next time. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find ot

Succes is More Likely When you Schedule Tasks We have covered topics like rebooting your life and finding time for these new goals.  Now it is time to look at how to bring those dreams to reality.  A great tool for making steady progress on anything is to schedule it.  We plan important things like doctor appointments all the time.  However, we seem to leave many things to be done "when we get to it." This random approach to our aspirations is a great way to live a life unfulfilled.  That is not to be over-dramatic.  Instead, it is a logical progression.  When we leave things to be done when time permits they simply do not get done.  Our schedule fills with things that rise to the importance of being on our schedule.  Even worse, we will our time with these activities.  Schedule an hour long meeting slot for fifteen minutes of content and see how long the meeting goes.  We do this throughout our life.  That is why our junk drawers and storage closets are always overflowing. Please leave a review and let me kn

Find Joy in Your Side Hustle The idea of a side hustle or part time job is hardly new.  However, it has become more common and even needed in our busy world.  The key to a good side hustle is not the pay or even advancement opportunities.  Instead, the goal should be to use this as a step towards doing the things you enjoy.  When your job and hobby coincide, then work fades away.  You are not working; you are doing the thing you love. All of this talk of a job you love may seem unrealistic.  Nevertheless, it is attainable and the key to success.  When you love your work, you will be more driven, productive, passionate, and even successful than those that do not.  In this episode, we discuss some options you can look at for creating a side hustle that not only nets you more income, but it is also the first step towards a happier life. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find ot

You can Stay Within the Rules or Break Them There are only a few ways to look at the rules in life.  We can walk within them, push the boundaries, or ignore them completely.  Playing by the rules is not just for kids and games.  The approach we take to life (fair or cheat) seems to be set in our nature during the early years.  Keep this in mind as your young ones play in the neighborhood or compete in school and activities.  We can set the example for them to grow into strong adults.  There is often that desire to find a win.  However, when this causes rules to be broken it can paint them as easily ignored.   This seemingly harmless path can lead to struggles in later life and constant respect issues.  When we teach a child to ignore the rules when they can get a win it sets a precedent.  This can cause no end of headaches when the rules they break are ours.  Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id11

Past Failures Do Not Block Future Success The challenges we face in life can be exhausting.  Nevertheless, that does make them bad or even something we should avoid.  When we overcome an obstacle that becomes a win we can hand our hat on.  The key to success is to feed on those past victories for energy during the hardest times. Our children will be much more likely to succeed in life when we show that challenges should be embraced.  This is where we need to set an example.  Teach your kids to find how to turn failures into a future success and lean on the tough times as an opportunity to grow. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles available there as well.  For regular updates follow me on twitter (@thebroadhead) and check out our Facebook page at f

Use Vacation to Rest and Recharge Our lives get busier every year.  The mere idea of taking a break seems to be harder to conceive each year as well.  This filled to the brim approach to life is not just for adults.  Kids have a full plate of options during the extended break.  The options range from traditional summer camps to ways to improve their athletic and academic skills to chances to learn new skills. It is easier than ever to keep our children busy during the Summer.  However, this misses a key point of the break.  There needs to be time to reflect, rest, and refocus.  The school year drains our kids as much as it does us.  Thus, those little brains and bodies need to find some rest and not be tossed into the next activity.  Not only does this constant activity approach to life burn them out, it also makes it harder to have family time and events.  Take a break and enjoy the Summer at least a little bit. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes

Getting Better in a Busy Life When we talked about a life reboot, it was left as something easier said than done.  Finding time to exist is hard enough, but make improvements?  It just cannot be done.  Nevertheless, in this episode, we look at the areas to review in your life assessment.  We step back and take a look at the forest instead of staring at the trees.  Then we move to some ways that we can find time to make these desired improvements.  Time management is a topic that will be covered in greater depth in future.  However, I wanted to give you a few starting suggestions. Finding time to do anything in our busy lives can be a challenge.  However, when we look at where we spend our time, we will likely find some areas that can be improved.  Maybe we waste time that can be reclaimed to be happier.  Maybe we spend time on activities that can be batched or automated.  We also end this episode with a challenge instead of a joke.  It is time to get serious about living a better life. Please leave a review a

Embracing Watershed Moments Children have regular events that are perfect for resetting their life and expectations.  Every new school year is such an opportunity but in some areas (such as grades) every grading period can be a new start.  These opportunities to reboot your life are great ways to relieve stress and keep a positive outlook.  As adults, it is easy to get into a rut.  However, when we find some time to assess and adjust our lives we can keep that childish optimism alive.   A life reboot is more than just a New Year Resolution.  In this process, we examine what we want from life and how we are doing to achieve our goals.  Think of it as creating a report card for our life.  A new job or other "life event" often can trigger a life reboot, but let's look at making that a more regular occurrence. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at http

Explaining Magic and Misdirection Can Be Eye-Opening Sleight of hand and misdirection (sometimes called magic) are fascinating to kids and easy to teach.  The dexterity required may sometimes seem too much.  However, kids are happy to buy into these tricks and thus set the bar low.  While teaching a skill like this can help you be a "cool parent", it is much better to use it as an introduction to life lessons.  A few minutes of instruction can provide you a way to discuss topics like believing what you see, patience with others, and avoiding being fooled by others.  This episode provides a combination of a new skill, entertaining your kids, and a little education.  What could be better? Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles available there as well. 

This is one of those questions that are harder to answer than one might think.  A step into the workforce is a big one.  When you children grow old enough to get a job there are a lot of factors to consider.  They may need to stay focused on education.  Also, they may be dedicated to sports or extra-curricular activities.  Thus, their schedule may already be too full.  Why add to their load?  The value of a job is important immediately, but also down the road.  The skills they learn like money management and sticking to a schedule will prove valuable later in life.  In this episode, I look at three slightly different paths my kids have taken.  Then, we cover how that worked for them.  Maybe these examples will help you learn from our successes and failures. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There

Adding More Kids is Incrementally More Work This is a rare episode where we look at that moment where you are considering a large family.  Alternatively, you might be increasing the size of your current one.  Once the kids outnumber the adults there is a change in how most families are run.  We stop to deal with the kids individually.  Instead, the kids are managed as a group and family is the focus.  This does not mean our kids lose their individuality.  Instead, we parent the family instead of a bunch of individuals.  Therefore, adding a couple more kids (via adoption, multiple births, etc.) is not that much more to handle than the family you have today.  If you are wondering whether you can take on more, but really want to take another step.  This is something to consider.  The payoff of a large family does get better as you add kids.  At least in my experience. This does not mean our kids lose their individuality.  Instead, we manage the family and parent the individuals.  This is more natural than it may

Fatherhood is More Than a Job There are many stereotypes about fatherhood.  Well, about Dads, and that colors our view of what fatherhood should be.  A dad is more than an ATM that dispenses money and the guy that takes you to sporting events.  A true father is an important part of their child's' life.  The work related excuses fro skipping time with our kids are just that, an excuse.  A father needs to bring his special toolset to the parenting equation to combine with what mother brings to the table.  These two distinct roles help a child to grow up into a well-balanced adult rather than spending a lot of time on a consulting couch. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles available there as well.  For regular updates follow me on twitter (@thebroadh

Healthy Eating is a Basis for a Better Life Healthy eating is one of the most impactful habits we can establish.  This also happens to be one that can be started early in life.  When you lead your child to make good dietary decisions in those early years, it will pay off with good decisions as they get older.  We can help set them on the right course by limiting fast food meals and offering healthy snacks along with the "junk food" that all children love. Unfortunately, the good habits start with us as parents.  We need to be aware of how often we cut corners for meals in order to get to that activity on time or because we are too tired to cook.  Whether we set certain days of the week to always be sit-down meals or we push our kids to try new foods, there is a choice to be healthy.  Our bodies naturally crave a healthy diet so teaching our kids the value of one will also help us feel better and stay out of a doctor's office. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  h

Wait for Obedience Don't Demand It One of the struggles parents have is obedience from tweens and teens.  Yes, they do tend to tune us out and forget what we have asked.  However, we also tend to look for an immediate response rather than allow them time to comply.  They have tasks and goals just as we do.  Thus, they get frustrated with our interruptions and requests to "drop everything" so they can get a chore completed.  Rather than pounce on them for not immediately responding, allow them time to complete what they are doing and then get that chore done.  This approach is what we want for ourselves so why not give them the same respect.  It may not only reduce tension in the house, it may also increase mutual respect.  Of course, this also allows you to ask them to "chill" when they have an immediate demand of you.  That respect goes both ways. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  

Few Comparisons Leads to Childish Drama We have all heard our child exclaim something is the best or worst.  Although we see it as hyperbole and childish drama, the child may not.  Consider the short time and limited experience your children have had.  That apparent little event can also be one of the most impactful in their lives so far.   We can brush such things aside and tell our children their concerns are not warranted.  However, this minimizing of their "first" does not help them while they are experiencing it.  Share the moment with them and give them tools to handle these trials of life while they are young.  The effort will pay off in an ability to cope better with all life hands them later on. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles availab

Adult Productivity Technique for Kids The Pomodoro technique is a popular way to improve productivity among adults.  It embraces our natural rhythms of learning and rest.  It only makes sense that a similar approach works for children as well.  We complain about the short attention spans of modern children.  However, we seem to have a similar struggle as adults.  Try building these patterns of focus and rest with your kids to help them become more productive and get more out of every minute. This is a simple concept that has a broad range of applications.  It may be hard to try to use these rhythms during the school year, but the Summer is different.  Every child is different so these suggestions may need some tweaking to work in your family.  This may even help reduce arguments around sharing. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessing

Create a Routine to Cultivate Success One of the best things that a parent can cultivate in their children is a routine.  Of course, good habits are great.  However, getting a child into a routine is not only healthy, it prepares them for life.  Simple things like hygiene and quiet times can provide a solid foundation as a child grows up.  Larger routines like practicing a skill or physical improvement can even lead a child to greatness.  In this episode, we look at some ways to get a routine started and maintained.  The younger we start, the better. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles available there as well.  For regular updates follow me on twitter (@thebroadhead) and check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/blessingnotstressing.

A Challenge Can Start or Break a Habit The 30-day challenge is a popular thing for adults.  It can kickstart a change or even be a form of vacation.  Thus, these are not just for adults, they can be great for kids and even families to start a new adventure or get out of a rut.  The challenge options for adults are a bit different from those for kids.  However, there are a lot of excellent ideas to try out this Summer.  In this episode, we look at how a challenge can help with goal setting and other skills for success in the future.   Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast episodes at https://blessingnotstressing.com/blog/podcast.  There are also deeper discussions with blog articles available there as well.  For regular updates follow me on twitter (@thebroadhead) and check out our Facebook page at facebook.com/blessingnotstressing.

Casey Palmer Interview - Part 3 We wrap up our conversation with Casey Palmer with a look at his life as a blogger and future plans.  We also discuss what he has learned in his short time as a father.  Watch out, he has learned one of the greatest lessons already.  This final part of the interview is packed full of nuggets of information with a sprinkling of humor on top.  As parents, we often focus on the first time, but there is also the last time to remember.  We discuss staying in the present and letting the future take care of itself.  The last time comes too soon. You can learn more about Casey on his site.  Otherwise, check him out on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube.  Drop him a line and tell him how much you like him.  Negative feedback is allowed, but let's be honest, he is too wicked-awesome for that. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts on this and other episodes at  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/blessing-not-stressing-happy/id1186128287.  You can find other podcast ep