From Justin in the Driver's Seat
Every parent note, conversation starter, and behind-the-scenes thought from the Crew. 38 posts and counting.
Back to For Parents1 day ago4 min read
Every time your kid says they're bored, you feel the pressure to fix it. Here is the case for doing nothing, and why a little empty space might be exactly what your child's mind and heart need this summer.
Keep readingPost 12 days ago4 min read
Nervous about the school year? Your kid can tell. Here is how to handle your own worry out loud so your child learns what to do with theirs.
Keep readingPost 24 days ago4 min read
Some days your kid decides early that everything is terrible, and nothing you say budges them. Here is the small, repeatable move that turns the mood around without a lecture, and why it actually shapes a heart.
Keep readingPost 38 days ago4 min read
Two weeks in, the swim team is boring, the lessons are too hard, and your kid wants out. Here is how to tell when to let them stop and when to help them push through, and the line that keeps it from being a fight.
Keep readingPost 410 days ago4 min read
Day one went great, then week two fell apart. Here is why the school dip hits after the excitement wears off and how to help your kid through it.
Keep readingPost 511 days ago4 min read
Most kids will watch someone get picked on this summer and freeze, not because they are unkind, but because speaking up feels terrifying. Here is how to raise the child brave enough to say something.
Keep readingPost 615 days ago4 min read
By hour three of a long summer day, somebody is crying over a controller. Here is how to raise the kid who is brave enough to make the first move toward peace, instead of waiting for the other person to cave.
Keep readingPost 718 days ago3 min read
Summer turns showers, teeth, sleep, and sunscreen into a nightly battle. Here is how to turn the nagging into something deeper: helping your kid see their body as worth taking care of.
Keep readingPost 822 days ago4 min read
When your kid's temper goes from zero to sixty, they need a skill, not a scolding. Here is a simple way to teach your child to cool down before they blow up.
Keep readingPost 925 days ago4 min read
The new school year is coming fast. Here is a simple way to pray over your child and hand their first-day nerves and fresh start to God.
Keep readingPost 1025 days ago4 min read
Long summer days mean tired kids and storms that blow up out of nowhere, the slammed door, the meltdown over nothing. Here is what your child actually needs when the feelings get bigger than they are.
Keep readingPost 11about 1 month ago4 min read
A screen schedule helps, but the real goal is a kid who can stop without you standing over him. Here is how to build the self-control muscle that outlasts any summer screen-time rule.
Keep readingPost 12July 27, 20264 min read
Prayer is just talking honestly with God, and you can teach it in everyday moments. Here are simple ways to help your kids learn to pray for real.
Keep readingPost 13July 23, 20264 min read
Real confidence comes from who God says your kid is, not from winning or being liked. Here is how to raise a secure kid without feeding pride.
Keep readingPost 14July 20, 20264 min read
Some kids fall apart over a B, a missed note, a small mistake nobody else even noticed. Here is what is really going on under the meltdown, and how to raise a kid who can mess up without falling apart.
Keep readingPost 15July 16, 20263 min read
Summer groups form fast, and somebody always ends up on the outside. Here is how to raise the kid who notices the lonely one and walks over, and what to hold onto when your own kid is the one sitting alone.
Keep readingPost 16July 13, 20264 min read
Your kid wants in, and would also rather disappear than risk looking foolish in front of everyone. Here is the one shift that helps more than a louder pep talk, and what God says about the kid frozen at the edge.
Keep readingPost 17July 8, 20264 min read
You don't need to add a single thing to your calendar to disciple your kids. Here are 25 ordinary moments you are already living that can quietly turn into the most important conversations you ever have.
Keep readingPost 18July 8, 20264 min read
The long open days have a way of turning your kid into a customer who wants the next thing before they have finished the last. Here is why more stuff never fills them up, and the one small move that quietly grows a grateful heart.
Keep readingPost 19July 8, 20263 min read
With nothing on the calendar, boredom shows up fast, and the wish list shows up right behind it. Here is why contentment is learned, not automatic, and the one daily habit that builds it.
Keep readingPost 20July 7, 20264 min read
Your kid got left off the group chat, skipped at the sleepover, frozen out by the friends who were fine last week. Here is how to tell the difference between mean and messy, and the one thing your kid needs from you either way.
Keep readingPost 21July 6, 20264 min read
Your kid was fine all winter. Then the first thunderstorm rolled in at bedtime, and now they are in your room every night. Here is what actually calms the fear, and the one small plan that works better than reassurance.
Keep readingPost 22July 6, 20264 min read
Most parents carry this one quietly. Here is what to do when you notice your child spending a lot of time alone, and how to open one small door without taking it over.
Keep readingPost 23July 2, 20264 min read
Your kids will hear the word "freedom" a hundred times this weekend. Here is how to turn the cookouts and fireworks into one simple conversation about the freedom that never fades.
Keep readingPost 24June 29, 20263 min read
The school year ended and suddenly the friend who sat next to your kid every single day just stopped texting back. Here is what is actually happening, and the one move that helps more than a packed calendar ever will.
Keep readingPost 25June 28, 20264 min read
Date nights and a kiss in the kitchen can feel like luxuries you cannot afford with this much going on. Here is why your kids watching you love each other is one of the most important things you do for them, not a distraction from parenting but part of it.
Keep readingPost 26June 27, 20264 min read
New summer groups mean new kids, and not all of them pull your child in a good direction. Here is how to raise a kid who can say no without losing their nerve, before the moment ever comes.
Keep readingPost 27June 25, 20264 min read
Summer turns up the comparison volume, and kids (and honestly, parents too) start measuring their real lives against everyone else's best moments. Here is how to help your child run their own race.
Keep readingPost 28June 22, 20264 min read
Summer rosters and neighborhood games sort kids fast, and the one left off the list feels it in their chest. Here is what your kid actually needs from you in that moment, and it is probably not what your first instinct tells you to do.
Keep readingPost 29June 18, 20263 min read
Summer is beautiful until hour three, when the refereeing starts. Here is the reframe that might just save your sanity and your kids' relationship.
Keep readingPost 30June 17, 20264 min read
A five-minute walk through everything waiting for your family on the site, from the daily episode and the prayer wall to the coloring pages and the question your kid can record in their own voice.
Keep readingPost 31June 15, 20263 min read
Your kid hasn't even packed their bag yet, and the stomach-ache has already started. Here is what the research says, what the Bible says, and the one thing you can do before drop-off that actually helps.
Keep readingPost 32June 11, 20264 min read
You can feel it when the story is just a little too clean. Here is why interrogation backfires, and the one response that makes telling the truth safe again in your house.
Keep readingPost 33June 9, 20263 min read
About 1 in 4 elementary kids will experience bullying this year, and summer puts them in new situations where you simply cannot watch. Here is what to say and how to pray when your child is the one being hurt.
Keep readingPost 34June 6, 20263 min read
You never decided to hand the whole summer to a screen. It happened one easy yes at a time. Here's why it's a structure problem, not a willpower problem, and the simple plan that turns it around.
Keep readingPost 35June 3, 20262 min read
You expected summer to feel like relief. Instead your kid seems more anxious, not less. You're not imagining it, and it's not a discipline problem. Here's what's actually happening, and the small thing that helps.
Keep readingPost 36May 16, 20264 min read
Families aren't failing right now. They're overloaded. Here's what Scripture actually says about end-of-year exhaustion, and five small resets that lower the temperature in your house this week.
Keep readingPost 37May 16, 20261 min read
Most parents wait for the perfect moment to talk to their kids about Jesus. The perfect moment isn't coming. Here's the smaller move that actually works.
Keep readingPost 38