Eyres On The Road

There are many different strategies to deal with technology. Richard and Linda this week talk about how to introduce kids to good technologies and teach them moderation in all the others. Children are being inundated with screens and social media at a younger and younger age. Most usage can be harmless, but technology is just another area of your family's life where you want to be engaged and know what is going on, so you can know if a problem arises.

This week Richard and Linda focus on marriaging instead of parenting (even if it might technically not be a word). As you set goals for the new year be sure not to forget the goals related to your spouse. Work together to make sure your marriage gets the attention it needs and the attention that it got before you were parents. Good luck in your family goals and relationships in 2017!

Richard and Linda focus on a growing group in America right now, Grandparents. They set some specific goals on air with getting to know their 29 grandchildren better. It is key to learn how they communicate to best talk with them. You can have such a special unique relationship with these children. Maybe you can't save the world per say, but you can mean the world to those kids.

Get tips about parenting from world-traveling family coaches Richard and Linda Eyre.

As the weather gets colder outside it's good to think of those that don't have a warm house and fire to gather around during the holidays. There is a pressing refugee situation in the world right now and Richard and Linda have used this season of good will to teach their family about service and love. Shopping for family that you won't be able to see at Christmas is fun, but it's important to also remember to serve those that are even farther from their families or life that they have known.

Now that Thanksgiving is over the Eyres take this week to reflect on that amazing holiday and turn their eyes to the holiday the stores have been looking forward to since the end of Halloween, Christmas. It can be the most wonderful time of the year, but sometimes the corporate, consumerism, commercialism of it all can weigh us down. Richard and Linda provide tips for us all to remember why we love this holiday so much and how great it truly can be.

Today the Eyres focus on some of the common mistakes they've seen in parenting. They make it simple and line out three things to stop and then in turn start in parenting. First they suggest stopping the entitlement attitudes by starting a family economy. Making children responsible for their own finances even in a small way can start them thinking about money in a self-reliant way. The next thing to stop is psudo-discipline by starting a family legal system. When rules of the house are made together as a family instead of handed down from the parents, then everyone will understand why they are there and what the recourse will be. Finally they suggest parents stop fearing outside cultures and start a family culture. Make it clear the kinds of things that your family is all about and that the main sourse of teaching comes in the home and not outside cultures of media, politics, or peers.

The Eyres try to expand our view of what art is this week. Having art in your home isn't as simple as hanging up some pictures. In fact, they suggest you consider the benefits that come to children and the whole atmosphere of your home when you add art, getting out to art events in the community, and make a conscious decision of what specific art you want to feature in your home. As schools focus more and more on math and science, the art education you provide in your home becomes invaluable.

Today Richard and Linda turn their focus to the extended family and how they can help with children. Families are more than just parents and children or who lives at home all the time. Grandparents especially have a particular insight that can be beneficial to the whole family. As Baby Boomers (our grandparents, parents, aunts, and uncles) head into their "Autumn of Life" they still have so much to offer and Richard and Linda are here to help! The Eyres are getting off the road for now to focus on these essential members of everyones family. To find out more about the new adventures of the Eyres click here for information about Life in Full and here for the upcoming Life in Full Cruise.

Upfront, Halloween may not be one of Richard and Linda's favorite holidays but today they try to see it with a positive lens. This is a season that helps encourage creativity in many different ways. Whether it's carving pumpkins or coming up with costume ideas, Halloween helps unbridle the imagination. And, because this is a family show, sometimes it's just important that kids love Halloween, so this year take a minute and see this unorthodox holiday through the creative eyes of a child.

Communication is the key to any relationship, and that is nothing new. Most times families try right when the kids get home from school, but the Eyres pose some other ideas for times to bridge the communication gap. All great communication in a family starts with the spouses setting the good example. A good example starts with organized, purposeful, and planned communication. For more information about the Secret Family Code you can click here.

The Eyres talk about a child's education today, but don't think it will be all about which pre-school through college they can get in. Parents are always the most vital part of the education process. Along with education, parents often try to cram in the extracurriculars (also to make their university resume look better) but it is important to find your child's unique abilities or interests. Little kids have personalities too, and the best way to get to know them is to be involved in their education.

It is officially Autumn now, and Richard is definitely in the spirit. The Eyres spend today discussing gratitude and giving thanks. Sometimes the toughest times to give thanks are for the things we don't notice. Parents and other caring people can point out gifts and blessings that you have in your life, if you only ask.  This attitude of gratitude is the best defense against entitled and asking trends in the family. Also as the seasons turn the Eyres remind us to not forget to be grateful for the beautiful nature always around us.

As you know, the old school Three R's that schools teach are Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. So now as the kids head back to school to learn in these categories, the Eyres put forward The Other Three R's that parents and concerned adults can teach. These are the kind of categories that formal school learning often glosses over or ignores entirely, but they are just as important in the learning process of a child. So the Other Three R's are: Relationships, Responsibility, and Right-Brain-Learning.

Richard and Linda go back to the topic they have loved talking about the most for the past two months: their new grandkid. There are definitely joys and struggles both when a new baby joins the family. They talk to the new father to get his thoughts and how they have changed from three months ago. Finally they delve into the spiritual aspect that comes so natural when discussing a new life coming to this Earth.

A few of the Eyres family gathered in New York City recently and it allowed Richard and Linda to notice the serendipity that is so natural in children. Serendipity is when you can see random occurances happen together in a fun or happy way. When unplanned events happen in your life, and they will definitely happen, you can decide how you react to them. You don't have to make a hard choice between structure and spontaneity.

The Eyres have said it before, but one of the biggest problems that can crop up in families is entitlement. Richard and Linda share some stories from their childhood that they believe instilled grit at an early age. The two suggestions they emphasize today are creating a family economy and a family narrative. This means paying children for regular work as opposed to an allowance. A family narrative is telling stories of ancestors to teach children where their family has come from to get here. The Eyres are working closely with the First Lady of Utah Jeanette Herbert with her Uplift Families initiative. More information can be found at upliftfamilies.org.

Being a parent can be hard sometimes, especially if you feel like you're going through it alone.  Even traditional looking families with two parents around can suffer from feelings of loneliness.  Today the Eyres give tips regarding these feelings that can hit even the most diligent and loved parents.  It's okay, and you aren't the only one dealing with the family conflicts you have.  21st century technology has really opened the way for groups of people to get together and this applies to parent groups too.  Richard and Linda suggest some blogs, groups to follow, and ways that they did it, but the important thing is to find a healthy group that can help you.

It is almost back to school season again.  That means figuring out teams or extracurriculars, homework schedules, and back to school shopping.  The Eyres this week encourage parents to not forget goal setting in all the chaos.  Make sure the goals focus on all the healthy aspects of a child's life such as mental, physical, emotional, etc.  You can set goals with your children and as a whole family.  When the Eyres did it with their kids they posted the goals on a nice big and visable chart, but there are all kinds of ways to make goals work for your family.  Make goal setting just as important as that first day of school outfit and the school year will be off to a great start!

Richard and Linda talk about the best thing you can do for your kids. Love is so important in a succesful marriage, and you can express that love in many ways. We learn the best possible thing for a family is the father and mother to love each other.