September 10, 2021
top trending topics
tips & tricks for growth
how to talk to your child about 9/11
9/11 is tomorrow. For most of us, this day brings a certain weight. Heavy emotions, heavy memories, and a heavy heart. But for our kids, who probably weren’t even born yet, that weight feels different. How can we as parents talk with our children about 9/11?
There’s no shortage of voices willing to speak into your child’s life. Media. Social media. The kids on the bus. The classroom curriculum. The entertainment industry. Consumer culture. All of them are ready to step up and shape your child’s thinking on all the tough topics. What’s your next step?
This blog will walk you through four ways to prepare for that conversation and four ways to make sure that conversation goes well. Emotions can be hard to communicate. But remember that you are the best resource for your child. Share your values and beliefs. Many parents underestimate the influence they have on their children. Research consistently shows that young people want their parents to talk with them about tough topics. Let them know what you believe, what you feel, and why.
a family’s guide to mindfulness
The past year was crazy. Finances. Family. Working from home. Homeschooling. Navigating a pandemic. Stress. Anxiety. Depression. The present is hard. The future is uncertain. What happened to our family? What will happen next?
Rarely are our minds engaged in what is going on right now.
Our attention is so focused on what happened yesterday or what will happen tomorrow—we miss the right now.Sometimes we get jarred out of the present by our schedules, cellphones, and to-do lists. We often fail to stop and savor what we are doing with the people we are doing it with.
We aren’t “in” the moment if we’re not being mindful in our family. As a family, you might be together, but you don’t connect.
MINDLESS.
How do you avoid mindlessly running from one thing to the next—both physically and especially mentally? How do you keep the past and the future from creating stress and anxiety in your family’s present? Stay connected to each other? How do you promote the mental skills needed to keep sharp and “in” the moment with your family? How do you help your family avoid these stress and anxiety pitfalls and better appreciate the time you have with each other?
MINDFULNESS.
Mindfulness is the ability to be fully present, aware of where you are and what you’re doing. The benefit is a more focused life with less bad stress and an increased ability to enjoy and connect with your family at a given moment.
Sounds simple, right? Well, it is, and it isn’t. It takes practice. If you’re like most people out there, you’ve trained yourself to put your mind in other places besides the present. And that, of course, affects your family.
Fortunately, practicing mindfulness in your family isn’t rocket science. There are several practices a family can do together to improve mindfulness.
what we’re lovin’
This week’s picks come from Chris Gregory, husband to his wife of 23 years, Jodi, Dad of 3, and the Development Director here at First Things First. Take a peek at his recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD. Check ’em out 👀:
👨👦 @Onadventurewithdad Every time I check out Kenny Deuss’s Instagram I just laugh. He is super creative and shows what life is like with kids in a humorous way.
📲 Screen Sanity by Amy Crouch I just started listening to the podcast Screen Sanity. Amy Crouch’s episode is good for hearing about how she was raised in a tech-wise family.
📗 Guide to Developing a Deep Reading Habit This was an article I stumbled on that I talked about with my kids. We are big readers in our family and this validated some of why we like to read so much. It does take us away to another place and broadens our horizons about what is out there.
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