Teaching About Difficulty

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
19 Oct 2021
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difficult

In the Christmas movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” we get to follow the adult trials and the childhood trainings of George. Each time he faced a difficult situation he asked himself the same question: “What would Dad do?”  Somehow George picked up lessons from his dad that helped him navigate life and become a community hero. What about our children? What are they learning from us? Times are different right now and different times require a different approach to life. But different, even difficult times, offer parents an incredible training opportunity. Dealing with Difficulty Everyone will go through their own […]

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Who Are Your Child’s Heroes?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
9 Sep 2021
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Every fall as we pass 9/11 and are in the thick of storm season, I sit and process the amazing sacrifice our first responders and their families make. I can’t imagine weathering a storm knowing that your father/spouse is at the station preparing to go protect and serve the community. What a truly heroic act. Then it makes me stop and think about my kids and who they look up to…  Who do your kids look up to? Who are their heroes? Is it even important to think about who our children look up to? Only to the extent that […]

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hero

How Start And Stay On Track In School

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
4 Aug 2021
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track

When we are in the mountains on vacation, there is an amazing toy store. It is always so fun to go explore, and my boys save their money for months, looking forward to going. One year they bought a toy race car set. It had a race track with a groove down the middle of each lane. Once you learned how to keep your car in that groove, those little cars would fly around that track. The secret to winning was to get it properly in the groove at the start of the race and keep it there. If you […]

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Why Are Boundaries Important?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
7 Jul 2021
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This last month our family spent some time in North Carolina. We love many things about being in the mountains: the fresh air, the trees, the rivers and creeks, and hiking. We usually spend several days exploring trails that lead us to amazing finds like gorgeous mountain tops and waterfalls. My two, like their dad, are explorers at heart. They spend hours by the creek where we stay finding salamanders, building forts and observing other wildlife. They love to wander “off the beaten path.” As we were hiking through a nearby national forest, I started noticing signs. “Please stay on […]

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boundaries

What Do My Kids Hear?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
3 Jun 2021
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hear

The volume and words a parent uses around their children and to their children has an impact on them. But what about the more subtle things we say? What about the things we say on our mobile phones, when we forget the kids are in the back seat listening? What about the things we say when the kids are in the other room… listening? And they are listening! What Do The Kids Hear? What do my kids hear when my kids hear me? What are the lessons we teach our kids… unintentionally? “Lord, may the words of my mouth…be pleasing […]

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Can You Pick Your Child’s Friends?

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
11 May 2021
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Fewer things influence our children more than the people they hang out with, their friends. Friendships have a powerful impact. Kids want to go where their friends want to go and do what their friends do and think the way their friends think. Knowing the impact friends have on our children, you would think parents would want to be more proactive in the “friend selection process.”  I can hear a parent groaning, “I’d love to help select who my kids befriend, but where do I begin? My kids are so private about their friends.”   Friendships are environmental Whether it’s […]

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When Parents Don’t Agree

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
6 Apr 2021
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parent

Is it okay for a husband and wife to disagree on the way they parent their child? This is a question that we get asked often!  Parental conflicts It is not only okay, it is natural! The top three areas of conflict in a marriage are money, sex and parenting. These are also the top three areas of interest in the marriage. We all arrive at the wedding ceremony operating from different backgrounds, raised by different parenting styles and with different temperaments. It stands to reason that our differences are going to be most impassioned and challenging when it comes […]

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Create Traditions That Point To The Easter Story

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
9 Mar 2021
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The most significant holiday on the Christian calendar is quickly approaching. This special day, however, is so clouded by cultural tradition that many have forgotten what they are to celebrate. Generations of wearing the right clothes have worn down the meaning of Easter in the hearts of many. It is time for parents to re-think the way they handle this most holy celebration.   Symbols of new life One of the cultural Easter traditions can be used to teach our children about Christ. Eggs can help parents give a visual aid in explaining the Gospel to little children. To start […]

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Dealing with Relationship Cancer: Anger

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
2 Feb 2021
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anger

Some children hear the word “No” and they become frustrated or argue. They are disappointed, but they remain in control. Other children hear the same word and explode into rage. Some adults can discuss differences of opinion and work through conflict. Other adults only need to be inconvenienced the least bit on the highway and they explode into rage. It is all about anger! Anger is arguably the most debilitating relationship cancer there is. When a parent sees rage explode out of their child, there is a feeling of helplessness. When an adult sees rage erupt from their spouse, fear […]

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Great Ways To Teach Civility and Kindness in 2021

Dr. Bob Barnes and Torrey Roberts
12 Jan 2021
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Well parents, we officially made it to the end of 2020! It was quite the journey for us all. There were definitely ups and downs, but if we choose to see the positives, we all probably learned many things. Even better, we had the chance to instill in our kids some very powerful life lessons. Our kids learned how to cope with major change. They learned how to manage disappointment. They hopefully learned how to process through emotions like fear and anxiety. This time period forced many of us to streamline our schedules and get a lot more organized as […]

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