Are you worried that your kids aren’t receiving the discipline they need when they go to their dad’s house? Or maybe you don’t agree with the way their mom is choosing to schedule their free time.
Split families are hard to navigate, but it’s not impossible. In today’s episode, Melvin Adams concludes his interview with Joel Hawbaker—a teacher, coach, and dad of a blended family. Joel has practical, encouraging advice for divorced or separated parents on how to begin communicating about what’s best for their kids. He uses principles as a teacher and a sports coach to remind us of what is most important in life and the development of a child.
“So whether you’re in a traditional family or a blended family, you need to be taking a long-term view and asking yourself, ‘Where do I want to be in 5, 10, or 15 years? Where do I want my kids to be? What do I need to do today to take the first step in that direction?’ And if we keep that long-term perspective, it makes our decision-making a lot more clear because it allows us to keep things in perspective.” — Joel Hawbaker, blended family dad, soccer coach, and teacher
In today’s episode, Joel and Melvin talk about:
- How divorced parents can work through conflicting opinions about their child’s education
- Having humility and the emotional maturity to relinquish a little of your authority over your child, even when it’s not easy
- Communication being the key, especially when it comes to privileges and discipline
- The critical importance of discipline, and sharing the discipline responsibilities with your ex-spouse
- Joel’s love of sports and how he feels that they help kids learn to order their priorities
- Having a long-term view for what you want your children, family, and community to be
If you like what you’re hearing, stay tuned for our next episode on The State of Education with Melvin Adams.
RESOURCES MENTIONED IN TODAY’S EPISODE:
- Joel’s website
- Find free resources for blended families at StepDadding.com
