Hey Parents!

Summer is winding down, and soon we’ll trade leisure time for busy school schedules and packed fall activities. There’s still time to create lasting family memories, though!

Research shows that families that eat, pray, and play together develop stronger bonds. To help you, we’ve created a Pinterest board with a few ideas on how you can maximize the final days of summer together.

August is National Family Fun Month, so as we work to build a firm foundation for our kids and raise them in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6), let’s find time to enjoy the journey!

A Foundation For The Future

When our kids step out on their own, we hope that we’ve trained them to respect authority, think for themselves, have good character, live a healthy lifestyle, and develop godly friendships. Above all, we hope to continue a loving, trusting relationship with them even after they’re out of the house.

Relationships are not only about respect, but also love. These connections don’t just happen; they take intentionality. Here are a few tips that can help us work on our relationship with our kids now to lay a foundation for the future.

• Pray. Ask God for discernment, wisdom, and guidance in parenting your kids. After all, He’s the one who created them and handpicked you to be their parent 😉
• Learn their world. Find out what they enjoy — sports, video games, music, movies — and join them!
• Be real. Share your struggles, mistakes, and victories. Don’t be afraid to say you’re sorry when you’re in the wrong.
• Eat together. Mealtimes are a great way to check in on everyone’s day. Plus, researchers have found that kids get their nutritional guidelines from their parents!
• Laugh together. Life is hard, so go ahead and be silly, have a dance party, and make funny faces, because sometimes, life is just too serious.

In the Parent Cue blog, “Fight For The Heart,” you can find more information on building relationships with your kids.

Nutrition On A Budget

We can all agree it’s important to provide healthy food for our kids, but work schedules, daily activities, and rising food prices can make meal planning hectic and frustrating.

However, when we bring God into our eating habits, it changes everything (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Striving to honor Him with our choices can help us see that a balanced nutritional diet doesn’t have to be complicated — it can be both simple and cost-effective.

For tips and tricks on how to help your kids eat healthy, check out “Balanced Nutrition on a Budget” on our Parent Connect podcast.

A Note From A Parent

PJ writes:

Parents, I’m no expert, but I highly recommend finding a place to consistently serve together as a family. And church is a great place to do this.

For the past 11 years, we’ve spent our Sundays serving in eKidz as a family. We were intentional about getting plugged in so our kids would have a community of people around them that cared for them.

We’ve all heard the phrase “it takes a village.” This is so true! Our church is our village. Our kids have been blessed with so many bonus moms, dads, brothers, and sisters. The people we have served with have encouraged them through middle school, high school, getting their license, first jobs, picking a college, and all the stuff in between.

Parenting is hard. We need people in our corner, and our kids need people (besides us) in theirs! So, find those great people, then get your kids (and yourself) around them often! Click here to find your village.