Our Parenting Style

As an elementary school teacher, I LOVED to have fun with my students! But I learned very quickly that you can't have fun without discipline, or things get out of control. Both Dave and I feel like this is true with parenting. We love to work hard and play harder, but we are not afraid to give Ellie a time-out if she is not behaving well, even, and especially, in public. It is important to have fun, but it is even more important to be a good person, make good decisions, and be kind to others. As part of our "bedtime routine" each night, we teach a 5-10 minute lesson on how to be a better, kinder person. It is one of our absolute, most favorite things to teach Ellie about.

As a teacher, I also learned that every child is different. What might work for one, might not work for another, so it's important to know that child's needs and interests, and how to reach or discipline them in a way they respond best to. We also do not hesitate to involve prayer in our decisions as parents, especially if we are not sure what to do. We think taking a step back and praying and pondering and researching the situation can make a huge difference. We are not perfect parents, by any means, but we do try with all our hearts to be good ones! We don't hesitate to apologize to Ellie when we do something wrong, or admit to her that we made a mistake. Whenever we have to be firm in our discipline, we try to make sure to show an abundance of love afterward. And we talk with her about why we did what we did. Parenting can be tricky! But we love it more than anything! We are also not afraid to reach out for help. We both come from big families, with experienced siblings and parents. They say “it takes a village” to raise a child, and we’ve got excellent support! Two of our siblings have adopted, and there are also at least 6 families that go to our neighborhood church who have adopted, as well. They have all helped us so much already!