July Update

Greetings Beloved,

We have some exciting news to share. God has provided us with a new house with less rent,  more space (including screened pool) to share with our Gospel Community and new neighbors. The house is in a neighborhood with a recreational area; pool, basketball, fitness. All great places to meet new people to share the gospel with. I admit when we first heard about this house up for rent from a couple that's part of the Round Lake Church family, I was already thinking that I didn't want to move, I like our current location and neighbors and didn't think for a moment what God might want. After finally looking at the house and talking with the owners we knew this was where God wanted us. We move July 28. Sunday July 29th we leave for Lake Aurora Christian Camp where we'll be the mission for the 5th-7th grade week. 

This past weekend we were in Jacksonville teaching an Empowered Parent Conference with 7 parents. We visited the "Farm," the location for the 30 day camp and boys home. That was my first time seeing some of the children of parents attending our conferences. After our visit there and after hearing testimonies of some "Empowered Parents" that dropped by this weekend it makes me realize even more the importance of getting the word out about how life changing "The Parent Project" is. There are so many parents that have been through the conference, the camp, and support groups that say they wish they attended this when their kids were younger. But now they have peace in their homes and have found hope. Our goal for the conferences is to give parents hope; there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Our prayer is that they may have hope in Jesus and hear the gospel spoken at Camp Consequence and the Sunday morning service we all attend after the conferences.

Thank you so much for your continued support and prayers. Please pray that doors will open for a support group to start in Central Florida and EPC's will grow to the greater Central Florida area so we can help parents. "Changed Parents will see changed kids."

Grace and Peace, 

Hope Kegg

Control

One of the mistakes that parents make with strong-willed children is trying to control them. "Look at me when I am talking to you." "Don't walk away from me, get over here." Strong-willed people (children and teens) in general don't want to be controlled. They fight it. If we as parents truly had control then our kids would do everything we ask them to do. They would never lie to us, sneak out of the house, fail school, get drunk, get pregnant. Smart parents know this and give up the notion of trying to control the strong-willed child.

But we can control everything that doesn't breath. That's right parents can control all the stuff that strong-willed children/teens like. Computers, food, car, cell-phones, clothes, etc. Smart parents know how to properly influence their children to make the right choices. Here's the rub. It's really hard work. Yeah, being a parent is tough. That's where Empowered Parents helps. We show you and coach you how to properly change those unwanted behaviors in your strong-willed child.

Testimony

Thank you so much for the eye opening weekend at the Empowered Parent Conference. We are anxiously awaiting Camp Consequence to be able to see how the program works in action and start using it right away. My wife and I both feel a huge weight has been lifted off of our shoulders, because for the first time ever we have a concrete, proven plan to implement. Both of us will be on the same page, a united front for our kids to contend with. Many of the ideas presented we have tried but not the right way or we didn’t follow through with the idea. We love the fact that it is all laid out in a book. This type of program is long overdue and should be mandated when you have children. I have been often said that parenting would be so much easier with the luxury of a manual. Well, the Parent Project has listened and made that type of resource available.

When I was looking for a program online to help my son’s out of control behavior, the decision was an easy one. I spent seven hours looking for a solid program, which not only sounded good, but received good reviews and had solid backing. Most programs I came across had something that I didn’t like about them until I came across The Empowered Parent. The testimonials that I found were 100% positive, but the thing that sold me on Empowered Parent organization was you. If you watch the videos online you can see the passion that you have for helping families regain their happiness. The videos only show half of the passion you see when you talk to you in person, which is awesome. I also loved the fact that there are measures to keep me accountable for getting it right and working the program. I need to be accountable; I realize that my wife and I need to improve our parenting as much as our son needs to improve his behavior. The fact that you target the parents first and foremost was important, I wanted a program where our family can grow and get it right together. That is exactly what is happening.

With the unbelievable content of the Empowered Parent Conference this past weekend and the intensity of the message that you send, my wife and I couldn’t wait to get home. That is yet another thing that blew me away, how close the families that go through the program become. There is so much strength in numbers and in the support you receive, I don’t know how we can go wrong. I am ready to put in the hard work and get things right. This is the total opposite of the way we have been feeling for some time when it comes to our kids. We have hope again and can’t wait to restore happiness in our home so we can enjoy our children and one another again. Thank you so much Glenn for everything. We are looking forward to working with you and everyone in the Empowered Parent family.

I could go on and on, when really I could say all this in two words. Thank you.

Sincerely-

One of our Empowered Parents (written by the Father)

To Denver and back.

This past weekend I took a trip out to Greeley, Colorado just north of Denver. For a Florida boy it was cold!

I had the opportunity to speak at Journey Christian Church's Men's Conference and lead a class on parenting with dads. "How to give kids the right attitude."

One thing that is common across the country is that kids are way different than when I grew up. They are different even after being out of youth ministry for 7 years. Our kids have changed in so many ways but there are some things that are the same.

1. We have to tell our kids that we love them everyday.
2. As a parent YOU NEED A PARENTING PLAN.
3. Parenting is hard work, period.

Even though most of what Hope and I teach is geared toward parents of strong-willed children, the parenting skills that we share are good for compliant children too. We help give parents a plan and hope!

Children need Love & Affection

"Simply loving children is not enough. Parents' love for their children must be expressed." page 3 Parent Project.

One of the key elements to being an effective parent is love and affection, telling your children that you love them. In order to have better communication and discipline in your home parents need to display love and affection. To often we don't tell our kids how we feel about them. It is vital we do this. The Parent Project says this:

"Children are now centered. They seldom think of the future and do not hold on to parental messages from one day to the next. For these reasons, most experts agree parents' love for their children should be communicated daily."


Parent, you can do this. Tell your child, your teenage, that you love them. Give them hug before they go to school. Write them a note and leave it in their room. Tell them you love them before they go to bed.  Most of the parents we work with start to regularly tell their strong-willed child that they love them and see changes in behavior immediately.

How to talk with your children about behavior.

Here are some great tips to think about when talking with your children about problematic behavior, page 20 of the Parent Project book. Remember it takes work to be a parent.


1. Timing. Am I calm enough to talk with my child? Remember never confront your children in anger, anger breeds hostility and will only serve to divide a parent and child. First address your own anger, calm yourself then go speak to your child.

2. Develop a plan or an outline. Do you know what you are going to say when you speak with your children? Write down your thoughts. Remember kids are smart and will try to change the subject. Tell your children how you feel, but remember don't be sarcastic or use put downs to get your point across.

3. Pick a private, neutral location and..
4. Minimize interruptions. Turn of the cell phone, tv, radio, be present with your child.  Both of these tips show how important your child is to you and that you love and care for them.

5. Prepare for the worst. You never know what your child might say. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. How you react when they share things with you will determine if they ever share something with you again.


Most parents don't have a plan and are not calm enough to speak with their children. If you want to help change your children's behavior you need to change yours first.