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5 ways to strengthen your family before the storm
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As your family puts these small practices into place, your home will grow stronger and your family will be protected from the storms of life. And along the way, life will be a lot more joyful! - photo by Rebecca Watson
Several years ago I lived in a beautiful European home that had been designed by a famous architect. The house was unique, full of natural sunlight, beautiful wood and decorative glass. The homes beauty was all the more amazing, as it had been built during Nazi occupation of the area when building resources were scarce. The walls, I discovered, were insulated with crumpled newspapers and straw.

One day, as I was taking a nap, the house began to shake. In my sleepy mind I wondered what on earth my kids were doing, but when I opened my eyes and saw the bookshelves and doorframes swaying, I realized my children werent to blame. We were experiencing a significant earthquake.

The earthquake was strong, and we were near the epicenter. Afterwards we examined our home and found that the only damage were minor cracks in the low brick wall that ran around the perimeter of the yard. I was amazed.

Despite shortages of traditional materials, and the stress of working in war-torn conditions, the builders had created a structure that would withstand the shaking of a significant earthquake. I felt immense gratitude for the attention they put into constructing a home that kept my family safe in dangerous times.

Parents today are in many ways like the builders of my beautiful home. We work in stressful times, with limited resources, often in what feels like war-torn conditions. And yet, each of us is doing our best to build a beautiful family that will withstand the shaking of lifes earthquakes and storms.

The time to build strong homes and families is not when the earthquake strikes. At that point, we can only rely on what weve already put in place. Its the things we do when life is normal that prepare us for the storms that surprise us. These things might not feel monumental as we do them, but like putting in one nail at a time, they combine to create strong homes and families.

1. Set aside time to be together

Life is crazy fast, and only getting faster. Like Internet speeds, it seems the standard for how fast we are expected to perform is increasing so quickly its hard to keep up. Intentionally slow the pace of life by scheduling regular times to stop and be together.

Block this time out like you would a business meeting or doctors appointment. When other things try to interfere, just say no. Show your dedication to your family by keeping these appointments like you would if they were with your boss or even the president. After all, who is really most important in your life?

2. Bring faith into your home

Several studies have shown strong connections between faith and improved physical and mental health, enhanced relationships, and lower incidents of teen pregnancies and addictions. You can bring faith into your family by setting aside even small amounts of time daily to read scriptures together, pray together, and talk about the blessings you see in your lives.

3. Serve others together

Focus as a family on helping othersboth inside and outside your home. Young children love doing secret service for others and finding ways to surprise family members and neighbors with acts of kindness. When parents and children serve together, these acts of service bring feelings of joy and connection.

As kids get older, include community service and discussions about the issues kids encounter such as homelessness, refugees, and poverty. Young people (and presumably adults as well) who are engaged in serving others have increased self-esteem, more likely to treat others kindly, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

4. Love your spouse

Let your kids see that you love your spouse through the little things you do. As parents speak kindly to (and about) each other, and do small acts of service for each other, kids sense of well-being, love, and security is strengthened.

5. Have fun together

Having fun and playing together bring a whole host of healthy benefits, including increased optimism, lower rates of illness, and happier relationships. Turn up the fun by playing happy music, celebrating lifes little accomplishments, throwing a party with just your family, playing outside together, turning chores into games, and reading fun books together.

As you and your family put these seemingly small practices into place, your home will grow stronger, and your family will be protected from the storms and earthquakes of life. And along the way, life will be a lot more joyful!
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How to avoid 'sharenting' and other paparazzi parenting habits
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A recent study revealed parents often spend up to two hours staging a single photo of his or her child to post online. - photo by Amy Iverson
Before having kids, some people just dont appreciate their friends baby posts. But after having a child of their own, three fourths of new parents jump right on the parental social media bandwagon. If you have become a member of this group, there are some rules to follow for posting responsibly.

Much of a parents worry is how to teach their children to use social media responsibly. We talk with our kids about privacy, oversharing, and setting restrictions on their devices to keep them safe. But parents themselves need to look in the digital mirror once in a while. Before having children, it doesnt take as much effort to think about what to post online. Its up to us to decide what we share about our own lives. But once you become a parent, there are many questions to think about regarding what is appropriate to post about your kids on social media.

In a recent survey, kids clothing subscription company Mac and Mia surveyed 2000 new parents to find out how they are documenting their kids lives on social media, and what concerns they may have.

First of all, people without children seem to feel a bit differently about the onslaught of baby pictures online than those who are parents. 18 percent of people say before they had kids, they were annoyed by their friends baby posts. But after having children of their own, 73 percent admit they post progress pictures of their little ones every single month.

Not only are new parents letting the world know each time their baby is a month older, but they are posting about their kids every few days or so. Men and women report they post 6-7 times per month about their baby.

And while 70 percent of new parents say the benefit of using social media is how easy it is to help family and friends feel involved, there are some downsides. Here are a few tips to avoid the pitfall of becoming paparazzi parents.

Dont miss the moment

In the Mac and Mia survey, some parents admitted to spending up to two hours to get the perfect shot of their baby. That seems a little extreme. New and old parents alike should be careful about spending so much time taking pictures and videos that they dont enjoy the moment. Years ago, I decided to never live an experience through my phone. A study by Linda Henkel, a psychology professor at Fairfield University in Connecticut, found that when people took pictures of objects in an art museum, they didnt remember the objects as well as if they simply observed them.

This photo-taking impairment effect can happen to parents as well. If we are so consumed by getting the perfect photo, we can miss out on the moment all together, and our memory of it will suffer.

Dont forget about privacy

60 percent of couples say they have discussed rules and boundaries for posting their babys photos, according to the Mac and Mia survey. Even so, men are 34 percent more likely to publish baby posts on public accounts. If parents are concerned about their childrens privacy, keeping photos off of public accounts is a given.

In the Washington Post, Stacey Steinberg, a legal skills professor at the University of Florida, and Bahareh Keith, a Portland pediatrician, wrote that sharing too much information about kids online puts them at risk. They write that all that sharenting can make it easier for data thieves to target out kids for identity theft. Check that your privacy settings are where they should be and never share identifying information like full names and birth dates.

Dont be paparazzi parents

36 percent of parents say they take issue when their childs photo is posted online by someone else. Responsible social media users will always ask permission before posting a photo of another child. But parents should also think about whether their own children will take issue with their own posted photos a few years down the road.

When parents are constantly snapping pictures and throwing them on social media, it can be easy to forget to pause and make sure the post is appropriate. I always use the billboard example with my kids. I ask them to picture whatever they are posting going up on a billboard in our neighborhood. If they are okay with that, then their post is probably fine. Parents should ask themselves this same question when posting about their children. But they should also ask themselves if their child would be OK with this post on a billboard in 15 years. If it would cause embarrassment or humiliation, it might be best to keep it private.

Once children reach an appropriate age, parents should include them in the process of deciding what pictures are OK to post. Researchers at the University of Michigan surveyed 10- to 17-year-olds and found children believe their parents should ask permission more than parents think they should. The kids in the survey said sharing happy family moments, or accomplishments in sports, school and hobbies is fine. But when the post is negative (like when a child is disciplined) or embarrassing (think naked baby pictures or messy hair), kids say to keep it off social media.
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