Kids & Family
**Crazy Cool Family**

Want home to be your favorite place in the world? Want to see siblings get along like best friends? Want to send your kid off to college with hope instead of fear? At Crazy Cool Family, we can help you answer all of those questions with a resounding “YES!”

We have one simple mission: To show parents how to create amazing families by building their lives around Jesus and helping their kids to do the same. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells us that what is most important in life is our relationship with God and our relationships with one another. We believe that families are our most important relationships and their strength will determine the strength of your family. You will Rethink the Way You Do Family when you see God’s incredible relational design for your families.

God wants a Crazy Cool Family for you and we want to help you get there!

Latest Episodes:

#208: Family Culture Made Simple - Let's Get Good at Discipline! Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

It's the last week of our 7 Discipline Drivers. Can you remember what they all are?

PSA: Here's your quick reminder to listen to any episodes they haven’t yet!

Each discipline driver has it’s own episode, so go back and listen for a deeper dive. We spent a lot of time talking about practical ways to implement these strategies with kids at all ages!

TODAY we are talking about our last discipline driver: Let them make mistakes.

Psalm 37:24 says, “...though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

Here’s the truth parents.... OUR KIDS WILL MAKE MISTAKES.

The good news is God takes care of our children EVEN WHEN mistakes happen. Here’s a helpful truth, our kid’s failures are doorways to their hearts. It gives us a chance to point them to God.

When we look at mistakes as opportunities instead of annoyances, we have a doorway into our children’s lives that allows us to deposit wisdom, grace, understanding, and hope.

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#207: Family Culture Made Simple: Consider & Why Apr 19, 2023

Show notes

Okay, parents, say this with me...

"Natural consequences are MY FRIEND!"

This week we are unpacking 2 more discipline drivers in our series: Family Culture Made Simple.

So often in parenting, we feel like we are on the opposite side of our kid. Imagine a line, and parents are on one side looking across at their kids on the other side of it. We are on one side telling them what to do, and they are on the other side resisting.

Here’s how this applies to your relationship with your kids—natural consequences put us on the same team. Our kids’ natural consequences help us to join them on their side of the line. Natural consequences give us the opportunity to work with our kids to solve an issue or get something done.

You can also say it this way: Natural consequences puts us on the same team.

We love it when we don't have to be the one that brings on the bad consequences. We challenge you to look for ways to use natural consequences this week instead of "piling it on."

Proverbs 4:5 says to get wisdom and understanding.

As a parent, one of the most important things we do for our children is to give them wisdom and understanding. How do you help your child gain wisdom and understanding? Explain the why!

The 6th Discipline Driver is "Life is in the WHY" and it is so important. Every parent needs fresh vision AND we need to be able to share this vision with our child.

When kids ask "why why why" 100 times a day, we get to build their understanding of the world. If being asked "why" constantly annoys you, then you may need to rethink this aspect of parenting.

Listen to the whole episode as we fully unpack the two discipline drivers: Consider Natural Consequences & Life is in the Why.

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#206: Family Culture Made Simple: Act & See Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

Is discipline working in your home?

In this episode, we unpack our next two discipline drivers: Act like the parent, not the child AND see life through the eyes of a child.

Driver #3: Act like the parent, not the child

Driver #4: See life through the eyes of a child

Wanna know how to use these methods to connect with your child and make discipline easier? Listen to Don, Suz, and their 2nd daughter, Madeline, share how to learn and use these strategies.

So much of success in Relational Discipline is understanding and connecting with your child. Instead of controlling the outside, we understand and influence the inside. Seeing things through their eyes is a big step toward connecting with them.

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#205: Family Culture Made Simple: Think & Ask Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

My kids are....

I'm sure you could fill in the blanks with 1,000 different good (and bad) words to describe your kids. This week, we are diving into the Relational Discipline Culture Pillar (say that 5 times fast)! This episode is designed to help you start RETHINKING the way you do discipline.

In Episode 205, we take you through two of the seven discipline drivers.

Parents, meet the Seven Discipline Drivers:

Think before you act.
Ask forgiveness.
Act like the parent, not the child.
See things through the eyes of your child.
Consider natural consequences.
Life is in the why.
Let them make mistakes.

Driver #1: THINK before you act

Get past your first response to the best response.

Proverbs 29:11 says: “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end.”

That’s what the concept, “think before you act,” is all about. Getting past how your flesh wants to respond to how your spirit wants to respond.

When faced with a discipline situation, we want a proactive response rather than a reactive response.

Driver #2: ASK Forgiveness

Forgiveness supernaturally softens hearts.

Proverbs 28:13 says, “Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”

God talks a lot in the Bible about hard hearts and soft hearts.

Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

A heart of stone is hard and unforgiving. A heart of flesh is soft and pliable...kinda squishy!! We want to model a forgiving heart towards our kids. How do we do that? BY ASKING FORGIVENESS!

If you are wanting to RETHINK your discipline methods, then Episodes #204-208 are for you! Stick with us over the month of April as we unpack all seven of our discipline drivers. It's worth the investment!

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#204 Family Culture Made Simple: Where to Start with Discipline? Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

What words come to mind when you hear the word “DISCIPLINE”?

As parents, we get the amazing opportunity to train our kids through every age. In this podcast, we are sharing our vision behind discipline. It’s not about control, it’s about freedom!

We believe God’s view of discipline is about freedom, responsibility, and self-control. His ways are always better than ours. Remember, the goal is freedom, but the strategy is relationships. When we are in depth of a relationship, we will see freedom come into our kids' lives.

Here are the 3 stages of Discipline discussed in this podcast:

Younger kids learn controlled obedience towards parents
Middle aged kids learn willing obedience towards parents
Older kids learn willing obedience towards GOD

Want to learn how to discipline your children God’s way?

This episode and the few to follow are designed with you in mind. Listen and share with a friend today!

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#203: Family Culture Made Simple - Fill Your Home with Faith, not Fear Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

We are faithful parents, not fearful parents.

Creating a Safe Haven is complex and this week we are going to unpack a concept we believe is essential to creating a safe haven for your family.

Concept: Faith vs. Fear

Hebrews 11:1 says faith is “confidence is what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Faith can be hard to define but it is something we get to live out and show our kids every day. There are endless chances we get to practice faith over fear. Let’s dig deeper into faith and fear and understand a few key things about why they are important.

In this podcast, we unpack ways to cultivate culture in your home by choosing faith over fear. It sounds simple but it is something we, as parents, get to practice ENDLESS amounts of times throughout our kid's upbringing.

So, what are you waiting for?

Listen today and share with a friend who needs the challenge to be FAITHFUL over FEARFUL!

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#202: Family Culture Made Simple: Safety in Questions (Feat. Lisa Johnson) Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

Do you know how to ask your kids the right questions?

We are diving back into our second culture pillar this week called Safe Haven. We have been talking about a lot of difference culture building topics but TODAY'S podcast will challenge and encourage you.

This week we have a special expert joining us Lisa Johnson. She is a family friend and professional psychiatrist. Her heart is for families to feel the freedom to ask for help.

We invited them Lisa to share her perspective on creating a safe haven for people through questions.

Here are some of the questions we discuss:

What are questions we can ask our kids to help them feel safe?
When they hide stuff from us, how do we approach talking to them about it?
If something traumatic or bad happens, how to we approach them and the situation?
What are things NOT TO DO when our child needs a safe place?
How do we make our home physically safe for our kids?

How do we make it emotionally safe?

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#201: Family Culture Made Simple: Building Culture on Family Trips Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

When was the last time your family took a trip?

Trips and breaks during the school year are a great time to be intentional with family.

How do we think ahead and create intentional spaces for our family during these set aside breaks?

Culture is happening around us constantly. It is something we, as parents, have authority over. The culture in your home is being built whether you are doing it or not.

Think about the last trip your family went on... how was it?

What words would you use to describe the atmosphere of your family?
What about your heart?
Were you a stressed, rigid, exhausted parent? Were you kids avoiding conversations with you throughout the trip?

In this podcast, we answer these questions and more! If you want to plan a family trip AND build life-giving culture in your family - then this podcast it for you!

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Culture Course in Basecamp
Other Resources!

#200: Family Culture Made Simple - What is a Safe Haven? Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

What is a Safe Haven? Is Your Home Safe?

TWO MONTHS! We have already been in this series for 2 months. We hope you are learning about culture and how to cultivate it in your family over this last month.

This week we are stepping into a new piece of culture. Join us as we talk about our next pillar, Safe Haven.

"We want our home to be a SAFE HAVEN where we wash the world off our children so we can send them out energized and refreshed." - Suz

We want home to be a place they want to come to and a place we want to be as well. The #1 key to creating a safe haven in your home is to become a great listener. If you learn one thing from this course, it is to become a great listener.

Everything we talk about the rest of the way will relate back to listening.

James 1:19 says, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.

Our goal with our children throughout their lives is to show them how wonderful it is to follow God’s ways. By listening instead of lecturing, we are creating a safe haven environment, a trusting environment that allows us to best guide their lives.

Listen and share this podcast with a friend! It's worth the investment.

Want MORE resources?

Join Basecamp Here!
Click here to watch the Safe Haven course
Other Resources!

#199: Family Culture Made Simple - Identity is Foundational (Feat. John Stickl) Feb 22, 2023

Show notes

Identity is a HOT TOPIC word in today's culture and we are here to tell you...

God created identity and has specific TRUE things to say about you AND your children.

We are finishing up our first culture pillar this week with a guest, John Stickl.

John Stickl is lead pastor of Valley Creek Church. He is also an author who wrote Follow the Cloud. Most importantly, he is a mighty man of God, a loving husband, and an amazing, intentional father to his two kids.

We invited John onto today’s podcast because he deeply understands the power of encouragement and how it goes hand in hand with identity.

Questions We Discuss:

- What is Kingdom identity?
- As parents, do we have authority to tell our kids who they are?
- How do we get our kids to believe God's identity for their life?
- If parents would do one thing to help build identity in their kids, what one thing would you challenge them to do?
- Why is identity especially valuable within family relationships?

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Crazy Cool Family

It's the last week of our 7 Discipline Drivers. Can you remember what they all are?

PSA: Here's your quick reminder to listen to any episodes they haven’t yet!

Psalm 37:24 says, “...though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

Here’s the truth parents.... OUR KIDS WILL MAKE MISTAKES.

Want MORE resources?

Okay, parents, say this with me...

"Natural consequences are MY FRIEND!"

Proverbs 4:5 says to get wisdom and understanding.

Listen to the whole episode as we fully unpack the two discipline drivers: Consider Natural Consequences & Life is in the Why.

Want MORE resources?

Is discipline working in your home?

In this episode, we unpack our next two discipline drivers: Act like the parent, not the child AND see life through the eyes of a child.

Want MORE resources?

My kids are....

Parents, meet the Seven Discipline Drivers:

Driver #1: THINK before you act

Driver #2: ASK Forgiveness

Want MORE resources?

What words come to mind when you hear the word “DISCIPLINE”?

Here are the 3 stages of Discipline discussed in this podcast:

Want to learn how to discipline your children God’s way?

Want MORE resources?

We are faithful parents, not fearful parents.

Concept: Faith vs. Fear

Hebrews 11:1 says faith is “confidence is what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

So, what are you waiting for?

Listen today and share with a friend who needs the challenge to be FAITHFUL over FEARFUL!

Want MORE resources?

Do you know how to ask your kids the right questions?

Here are some of the questions we discuss:

Want MORE resources?

When was the last time your family took a trip?

How do we think ahead and create intentional spaces for our family during these set aside breaks?

Think about the last trip your family went on... how was it?

In this podcast, we answer these questions and more! If you want to plan a family trip AND build life-giving culture in your family - then this podcast it for you!

Want MORE resources?

What is a Safe Haven? Is Your Home Safe?

Everything we talk about the rest of the way will relate back to listening.

Listen and share this podcast with a friend! It's worth the investment.

Want MORE resources?

Identity is a HOT TOPIC word in today's culture and we are here to tell you...

God created identity and has specific TRUE things to say about you AND your children.

We are finishing up our first culture pillar this week with a guest, John Stickl.

Questions We Discuss:

Want MORE resources?

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