Dads: Make Every Day Count

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi was well-known for a lot of things, most notably his passion for teamwork, commitment and success. Lombardi was driven to succeed, and he knew that winning required hard work and sacrifice.

“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour,” Lombardi said, “the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.”

As a father, my wife and children dominate the list of the things that I hold dear, and I will gladly lay exhausted on the field of battle for the cause of protecting and serving my family. I worked with at-risk kids for more than 20 years, and I’ve seen the positive role that dads play in the lives of their children. I’ve also witnessed firsthand the devastation that can occur when a child has no father figure in his or her life.

Assessing victory or defeat on the football field is relatively straightforward. It’s simply a matter of knowing the rules and how to keep score. Fatherhood is different. There is no off-season. No signing bonuses. No referees.

Yet victory is still possible.

One of the most effective parenting game plans is to simply take advantage of everyday opportunities to love our children and instill the right values in them. To be the best dad we can be is to make every day count.

So, where do we begin? We start with five key behaviors of a healthy, thriving family. These five behaviors demonstrate that small daily investments can make a big impact in a child’s life. They are prayer, laughter, time, conversation and dinner. Let’s look at each one:

Prayer: More than just praying for our children, prayer allows us to model for them the importance of taking our requests to a loving and gracious God. A few years ago, when I was without a job and our housing situation became unstable, our entire family sought the Lord together every day, and God provided for us in amazing ways. We continue to seek the Lord as a family (we have three young kids) to this day. Family prayer has drawn us closer to each other and to God.

Laughter: Modern science tells us that laughter has many benefits. It can increase blood flow, reduce stress and even help suppress pain. Laughter also has a profound impact on social interactions: Laughter connects us with others. Having fun as a family strengthens your relationships with your children and helps create positive memories. One of the regular ways we have fun is by watching our family videos. We make popcorn, laugh and reconnect as a family while we recall some of our favorite times together.

Time: We all have to choose how to occupy our limited free time, but you will never regret spending extra time with your children. (Watching TV together is not enough!) Ask yourself: Is the time we spend together as a family positive? Does it draw us closer together, or are we simply in the same home at the same time? In our home, Friday evenings are our regular family time. The kids look forward to it and each pick out a game for us to play. I also set aside one-on-one time with each of my kids. We call them “Date Nights With Dad,” which include activities like fishing, an evening at the park (with ice cream to follow, of course!) or a wagon ride around the neighborhood. Most of them involve little or no money – just lots of time together. Regular date nights also pave the way for a deeper and trusting relationship as our children grow.

Conversation: Talking is not always the same as conversing. A lot of family communication centers on superficial aspects of our lives such as managing daily schedules and whether or not we are keeping up with our regular duties (chores, homework, etc.). Do you ever set aside time to learn more about your children, to exchange ideas and opinions free from the regular interruptions of life? Can you name the “one thing” that gives meaning to your child’s life? Most parents can’t. Dads, if we don’t ask these questions – and actively listen to the answers – then we may never know our children’s fears and dreams.

Dinner: Researchers have found that family members who eat dinner together at least four times a week exhibit improved communication, healthier eating habits, higher grades and fewer problems with at-risk behaviors. The key to family dinners is keeping them free from distractions. Unplug from the world and pay attention to each other. One of the ways my family does this is by having everyone around the table share his or her “highs” (best thing of the day) and “lows” (low point of the day). Use dinnertime to engage in some of the other thriving family behaviors: time, prayer and conversation (and maybe even some laughter).

If your family is lacking in these behaviors, don’t despair. We all fall short as parents, but it’s never too late to start. No matter the ages of your children, begin today to take advantage of everyday interactions.

Maybe your children are grown and out of the house. You can still pray with them and for them, even if it’s over the phone. Invite them to dinner if they live nearby. Take the time to have a conversation about something other than the weather; maybe you’ll even get to share a few laughs.

It’s time to make every day count.

by Roy Baldwin To read the complete article, visit Focus on the Family…

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Conversation Starters: Obedience to Him

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”  Matthew 7:21

Conversation Starters
How can you keep this conversation going at home?  Try bouncing some of these questions around at the dinner table, as you’re driving your kids to school or an activity, or even while you’re shopping together:

For Preschoolers
What are some rules that keep you safe?
Why do we have rules like this?
What are some of God’s rules?  Did God give us rules to keep us from having fun, or because He loves us?

For Children
What are some rules you know we should follow?
Why should we obey these rules?
Is there more to being a Christian than just following rules?  What else?

For Students
Why are relationships important?
How do rules protect relationships?
Honestly, how would you feel about a parent who had no rules or expectations for his children?

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Crafts with Teeny: Summer Fun Jar

As I write this blog the first campers of the summer are finishing up their last full day at camp. Time sure does fly by when you’re having fun. We’ve had a great first session at both camps! We’re looking forward to three more great two week sessions and a starter camp for new campers.

I came up with this craft a few days ago as I thought about what our campers do while they are not at camp. I’m sure many are traveling with families, going to sports camp or perhaps hanging out with friends just enjoying not having to go to school. But I know there are campers and families that spend some time bored, wondering what to do next. This craft is a “Summer Fun Jar”.

Supplies:
– Mason Jar
– Paint
– Paint brush
– Scrap paper
– List of activities

The first step is to paint on the outside of the Mason Jar. I chose to call it the “Summer Fun” jar. You could have your campers paint their own name and then choose their own activities that they want to put in the jar.
Have your campers write down, on scrap pieces of paper, some activities that they want to do this summer. I have included a small list to help get the ideas started.

– Go to the zoo.
– Make a bird feeder.
– Bake cookies together.
– Make a fort with mom/dad.
– Play in the sprinkler outside.
– Catch fireflies.
– Play with bubbles.
– Make homemade play dough.
– Go to the park.
– Fly a kite.
– Go on a hike.
– Make S’mores.
– Watch a movie.

Next time your campers are bored tell them to pull out an activity from the Summer Fun jar. Have a great time this summer with your campers!

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Crafts with Teeny, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Summer | Leave a reply

Top Priority: Remembering Your Spouse

“…When we were dating, it was very easy to make our relationship my number one priority, second only to God.  I would anxiously await the mail every Tuesday because I would get letters or cards letting me know that I was being thought of.  The weekends were spent hanging out with my now-husband and his best friend.  We would rollerblade, go to the park, and spend time at the beach…building memories to last a lifetime. …

Then we got married…first one, then two, and then three kids came.  Work got busier, schedules filled up, and then we added the kids’ activities too…well, I don’t need to remind anyone about how crazy life can get.  And, even though my husband is still the most important person to me besides God, I don’t always do such a great job showing him that.  By the time the kids’ problems are resolved, laundry and other chores are completed, dinner cleaned up – where is there any time to make the one I love feel special? ”

Read more…. at Crosswalk.com

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A Nation Of Wimps

An interesting article from Psychology Today about kids in America today. 

Maybe it’s the cyclist in the park, trim under his sleek metallic blue helmet, cruising along the dirt path… at three miles an hour. On his tricycle.

Or perhaps it’s today’s playground, all-rubber-cushioned surface where kids used to skin their knees. And… wait a minute… those aren’t little kids playing. Their mommies—and especially their daddies—are in there with them, coplaying or play-by-play coaching. Few take it half-easy on the perimeter benches, as parents used to do, letting the kids figure things out for themselves.

Then there are the sanitizing gels, with which over a third of parents now send their kids to school, according to a recent survey. Presumably, parents now worry that school bathrooms are not good enough for their children.

Consider the teacher new to an upscale suburban town. Shuffling through the sheaf of reports certifying the educational “accommodations” he was required to make for many of his history students, he was struck by the exhaustive, well-written—and obviously costly—one on behalf of a girl who was already proving among the most competent of his ninth-graders. “She’s somewhat neurotic,” he confides, “but she is bright, organized and conscientious—the type who’d get to school to turn in a paper on time, even if she were dying of stomach flu.” He finally found the disability he was to make allowances for: difficulty with Gestalt thinking. The 13-year-old “couldn’t see the big picture.” That cleverly devised defect (what 13-year-old can construct the big picture?) would allow her to take all her tests untimed, especially the big one at the end of the rainbow, the college-worthy SAT.

Messing up, however, even in the playground, is wildly out of style. Although error and experimentation are the true mothers of success, parents are taking pains to remove failure from the equation.Behold the wholly sanitized childhood, without skinned knees or the occasional C in history. “Kids need to feel badly sometimes,” says child psychologist David Elkind, professor at Tufts University. “We learn through experience and we learn through bad experiences. Through failure we learn how to cope.”

“Life is planned out for us,” says Elise Kramer, a Cornell University junior. “But we don’t know what to want.” As Elkind puts it, “Parents and schools are no longer geared toward child development, they’re geared to academic achievement.”

No one doubts that there are significant economic forces pushing parents to invest so heavily in their children’s outcome from an early age. But taking all the discomfort, disappointment and even the play out of development, especially while increasing pressure for success, turns out to be misguided by just about 180 degrees. With few challenges all their own, kids are unable to forge their creative adaptations to the normal vicissitudes of life. That not only makes them risk-averse, it makes them psychologically fragile, riddled with anxiety. In the process they’re robbed of identity, meaning and a sense of accomplishment, to say nothing of a shot at real happiness. Forget, too, about perseverance, not simply a moral virtue but a necessary life skill. These turn out to be the spreading psychic fault lines of 21st-century youth. Whether we want to or not, we’re on our way to creating a nation of wimps….

Click here to read the rest of the article.

By: Hara Estroff Marano
Psychology Today 

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Just for Parents, parent articles, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Conversation Starters: Best For You

Jeremiah 29:11 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Conversation Starters
How can you keep this conversation going at home? Try bouncing some of these questions around at the dinner table, as you’re driving your kids to school or an activity, or even while you’re shopping together.

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Conversation Starters, Just for Parents, Ridgecrest Summer Camps | Leave a reply

Conversation Starter: Disobedience

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Conversation Starters
How can you keep this conversation going at home? Try bouncing some of these questions around at the dinner table, as you’re driving your kids to school or an activity, or even while you’re shopping together.

For Preschoolers:
Talk about how we all want things our way. Define disobedience. Explain that disobedience and wanting our way is not good. When we still try to get our own way, even when we’ve been told no, it makes God unhappy.

For Children:
Ask your child to remember a time when they disobeyed you. Explain that disobedience to God is called sin. We all sin, but forgiveness is available from God. Teach them to pray and confess their sins to God.

For Students:
Talk about times you rebelled against your parents or another authority. What were the consequences? Encourage your child to understand that sin is what separates man from God. Lead them to understand the necessity of confession and repentance.

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Crafts with Teeny: Bird Feeder

Summertime is quickly approaching which can only mean one thing: campers will be here in just a few short weeks! The flowers are blooming, grass is green and the birds are chirping. We thought it would be a great idea to do a craft to get everyone in the summer spirit. This month’s craft is a homemade bird feeder.

Supplies:
– Tin can (soup can)
– Paint
– Paint brush(es)
– String, ribbon, twine
– Bird seed

Directions:
1. Grab an old soup can and wash it out really well. Make sure to peel off the label and try to get as much of the sticky residue off as you can.

2. Once the can is dry enough to paint, let your campers paint whatever they want! Parents, you can paint your own can and show off your creative side too! Enjoy this time with your kids. Make sure to let the first coat dry before you add decorations like stripes or polka dots.

3. You can either tie string, ribbon, or twine around the can to hang it or you can poke a hole in the bottom and tie string through it to make it more stable.

4. Scoop some bird seed into the can and make sure not to fill it too full.

5. Go outside and hang it from a tree branch. Enjoy watching the birds eat out of your new feeder!

We hope you enjoy this craft with your campers. Send us a picture of your new bird feeder on our Facebook page or to rscamps@ridgecrestcamps.com. See you soon!

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Crafts with Teeny, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Summer | Leave a reply

Upcoming Summer

Well, it’s camp time once again!  We are so excited for the upcoming summer.  I’m sure that you, as parents, are excited as well for your child to be coming to camp.  For some of you, especially our first time families, you are probably feeling a little anxious, not knowing quite what to expect for your child, or how they will survive at camp without you.

Rest assured, they will make it through, and most of them will thrive in our camp community!  Camp is one of the few places where children can begin to learn a sense of independence, and learn that they can make it on their own for a brief time.  They also learn a sense of inter-dependence, building friendships with other campers from all over the country, all under the supervision of caring and loving young adults.  It will be difficult for some of you to leave your child with us, possibly being the first time you have ever separated for more than a night or two.   Realize that you are doing them a favor by providing them with the opportunity to rely on themselves, adults other than you, and God.

We are excited about what God has in store for each of our campers and staffers this summer.  Thank you for entrusting us with your children.  We look forward to their being with us soon!  God bless!

Ron Springs
Director, Ridgecrest Summer Camps

Posted in Just For Parents | Tagged Camp Crestridge for Girls, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Ridgecrest Summer Camps, Ron Springs, Summer | Leave a reply

Baby Sitters and Body Guards

What do the following positions have in common?

Babysitter.

Body Guard.

Manager.

Safety Net.

Advisor.

If you’re a parent, you’ve held them all or you will by the time your children dive from the nest. One day they will pay for their own phone lines and car insurance, schedule their own dentist appointments, drive through and pay for their own take-out, and do laundry in their own dorm rooms or apartments.

Read more …. from crosswalk.com

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