Welcome!

Welcome to Parenting Thoughts!

I’ve been working with youth and families for over 10 years.  During this time, I have interacted with a lot of content related to parenting, adolescence and spiritual formation.  Here are my goals for this site:  1) to wade through this information so that you don’t have to and 2) to bring you the best of what’s out there.

I hope to introduce you to simple, practical ideas that you can easily implement into your already packed life.  On the other hand, I hope to bring you philosophical, big picture ideas that will inspire you and cause you to evaluate what you’re currently doing.

Here’s a few things I believe:

Parents don’t have a lot time to think about anything besides what needs to be done today.
I have two daughters – 4 and 2 years old – and I’m already parenting out of reaction.  I don’t have time to get ahead of the curve.  These kids are constantly moving and growing. My wife and I simply try survive one day at a time.  I imagine your in a similar boat.

Parents don’t want more information or activities.  Parents want better information and they want activities that matter more.
Let’s face it, there is a lot of information out there and it can get overwhelming.    If you google the words “great parenting” over 233 million results pop up.  “Top 10 things to being a great parent…”, “Secrets to being a great parent” or “A How to Guide to being the best parent you can be” are waiting for you and the amount of options can be overwhelming.  If you’re like me, you look at the list and then go back to what you were doing.  That being said, my wife and I want information that matters and helps us accomplish our goals as parents.

Parents have tremendous influence with their kids even if they don’t realize it.
In my years of student ministry, I’ve interacted with many parents who are exhausted and feel that their years of influence are behind them.  This simply isn’t true!  You have tremendous influence and I hope to help you leverage that influence in your relationships with your children.

So, what do you say?  Shall we get started!  Wherever you find yourself in the parenting journey, we hope to help you on your way.  It has been my joy in my professional life to walk alongside many students and families and I can’t wait to do the same for you.