A CHiP on My Shoulder
Chp 10: Little Future Cops-Dads and their kids
Dads Need Their Kids When Brent became a highway patrolman, I was the one who comforted him when he came home. But after we started having children, I noticed a little shift. It seemed to me that he was more excited to see them than me when he came home. I used to get a…
Read MoreChp 10: Little Future Cops-Gun Safety
When our oldest son was little, we got a kick out the way he tied his cuddle blanket around his neck, made guns out of whatever was around, and ran off to fight the bad guys. When Brent’s leather holders for badges and guns were retired, our son appointed himself heir to them. Then as…
Read MoreChp 10: Little Future Cops-Kid Communication
Kid Communication Kendra’s six-year-old son knew Daddy went to work to arrest bad guys. Diedra and her husband sat their boys down at the ages of twelve and ten and had a heart to heart about what Dad’s job entailed. Betty’s eight- and nine-year-old kids watched their daddy on television during a standoff. I have…
Read MoreChp 10: Little Future Cops: United Parenting
Mom and Dad: United Front So, what if you have a different parenting philosophy than your husband? What if you don’t match up on the expectations of your children? Who determines what the rules will be? Both of you do. If the two of you have different standards of behavior for your kids, nobody wins.…
Read MoreChp 10: Little Future Cops – Being a kid of a cop
Our three boys grew up knowing the risks. We never lied to them about it, but it wasn’t what we talked about at the dinner table either. But what they also knew was that if Mom or Dad died doing the job, we’d go out with a sense of pride, purpose, and loving what it…
Read MoreChp 9: Silver Bullets: Money & Your Marriage-Tips on reducing costs
Bonus! Once our oldest daughter was born, I quit work and stayed home with our children. It was reducing to one income that forced us to pinch pennies. We had mouths to feed and only so much money to buy that food. I’ve listed some ways that we have implemented to bring down our costs.…
Read MoreChp 9: Silver Bullets-Money & Your Marriage-Ideas and Hope
Keep Your Money Life Intact Spend less than you earn. This should be a no-brainer, but most people just don’t adhere to this idea. When I was a newlywed, my boss told me, “You should live on Brent’s salary and save yours.” I thought he was nuts. But I will tell you it was the…
Read MoreChp 9: Silver Bullets-Money & Your Marriage-How to talk
Money Talks Ted and Sarah have difficulty talking about money, as it is a constant source of conflict. Ted gets frustrated that he works hard to bring in the money and they never seem to get ahead. Sarah naturally avoids conflict, so she inadvertently sabotages their efforts by not communicating with Ted about upcoming bills.…
Read MoreChp 9: Silver Bullets: Money and Your Marriage
“Don’t even consider keeping up with the Joneses. THEY’RE BROKE!” “The number one cause of divorce in North America is stress due to money problems.” Dave Ramsey, financial advisor It’s no secret. Across the country and beyond, we’re vulnerable to economic trends. Why? Because, for most of us, we are dependent upon other people’s…
Read MoreChp 8: Stuff Happens – How do you spell relief
How Do You Spell Relief? Whether the issues that you face in your marriage are a result of his job or relational differences or other outside pressures, there is a likelihood that at some point you will want to give up. Even the best marriages have occasional long winter seasons, and we are human. For…
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