Don & Suzanne Manning have over 30 years of parenting experience and 7 kids of all ages. Together, they are passionate about helping families rethink how they do family, one relationship at a time.
During this episode, Don shares his journey of developing Crazy Cool Family, a ministry dedicated to strengthening family relationships through love and intentional parenting. Discover how his book Crazy Cool Family and two guides guidebooks Creating Family Culture and Building Family Relationships, can transform your home into a haven of faith.
Key Takeaways:
- Emphasize relationships: Focus on building strong, loving relationships within your family. Recognize that parenting is not just about rules and discipline but about forming deep, meaningful connections with your children.
- Adopt a crazy cool family approach: Embrace the concept introduced by Don Manning, which suggests parenting should follow God’s unconventional wisdom—focusing on love and relationships above all. This means sometimes doing the opposite of what the world suggests (e.g., responding with forgiveness when feeling angry).
- Promote family culture: Work on creating a positive family environment or culture that fosters growth and connection. Think of it as a greenhouse in which strong, healthy relationships can flourish.
- Model God’s love: Be your child’s first model of God’s love. By being forgiving, generous, and loving, you provide them with a solid foundation to understand their identity as beloved children of God.
- Encourage sibling relationships: Invest in and promote strong sibling bonds. Move from conflict to cooperation by teaching your children how to support and invest in one another.
- Discipleship focus: Ensure that your parenting emphasizes living out your faith in front of your children. Understand that your children will learn about their faith through both what you say and what you do.
- Equip yourselves with knowledge: Utilize resources such as books and guides that encourage building family culture and strong relationships.
- Engage with ministry materials: Consider using structured materials like Crazy Cool Family’s session guides for personal reflection or group study to deepen your understanding and implementation of these concepts.
Check out Don’s resources here and receive a special offer by using this link: Crazy Cool Family Special Offer.
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