Epic Parent :: Veteran Advice

God has blessed my wife, Jodie, and I with 3 amazing kiddos.  ColeTrain is 16, KylieFaith is 15 and Tifton Jack (AKA The Jackhammer) is 13.  Jodie and I have been at this raising kids thing for 16 years now and if I could go back in time, there are a few things I would try to do a little more of or a little less of…    

• SAY YES TO WAL-MART:  When Coletrain was born, Jodie and I were so excited to dress him in Gap, Polo, and Baby AJ’s (Air Jordans for the non-fashion forward parents)…Believe it or not, the fashion foundation you lay today is the fashion foundation for tomorrow.  Say yes to Wal-Mart, 2^nd hand stores, and Toughskins (if they still make them)!  Don’t make clothes a big deal and when your kiddos are older, they won’t make clothes a big deal.

• DELAY TECHNOLOGY:  Don’t do it!  Don’t give in!  Not matter how much they beg, scream, and cry for that iPHone.  I don’t care if their friends have Instagram, Snapchat and MySpace.  J  You will preserve your kiddo’s purity by delaying technology.

• PUSH YOUR KIDS HARDER IN SPORTS:  I think that parents should focus more on sports.  Parents should sign their kids up for karate, coach pitch baseball, little league football…and the list goes on.  If you push your kids harder there is a chance they will receive that NCAA D1 scholarship, play in the pros and retire an ESPN sports analyst… and you will accomplish all your dreams living vicariously through them.  Just in case you missed it, this is called sarcasm.  Lighten up a little bit, sports are important…just not THAT important.

• ESTABLISH JESUS HABITS NOW:  My kids love the Lord, they respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, and they understand when God speaks…you better jump.  Although all these are great things, I wish I would have taken more time to teach Jesus habits.  For example, get up 30 minutes early on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to read, study and pray. Serve in a homeless shelter once a month.  Pray as a family nightly.   I taught these things, but there is a difference between teaching and forging habits over time.  If a parent spends 18 years forging these habits at an early age…I believe the chances are higher of them returning to them in an older age.

  I like how Pastor Craig Groeschel puts it best… “choose weird, because normal is not working.”   How true is this?   Normal is NOT working! Normal leads to kiddos that do not know God’s Word.  Normal leads to kiddos that choose YouTube over YouVersion.  Normal leads kids to obesity, pornography addictions, fragmented relationships and a hard heart towards Jesus.  Today is the day!  Parents, rise up and reject normal!