Level UP

 Christmas break will be here soon. School will be closed. And they’ll all be in the house. Oh boy. Can we just take their batteries out or at least put them on standby mode? 😰  Like it or not, for the time between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, your kids will be home.  Bored, tired, and having “nothing to do”, it’s easy for the natives to get restless. Mindlessly they’ll wander the house looking for that something that they most likely will not find. Unless you give it to them. No, it’s not a long set of endless and tiresome chores. Although, that is very tempting. And no, it’s not another round presents under the tree. Who in the world could afford that? 🤔 It’s something much better than that. Something that will give them purpose and stimulate them. More than simply keeping them busy or zoning out in front of YouTube. It will be something they’ll work at, think about, and strive to achieve. And they will love you for it. 💗 It will be a win-win. Imagine winning th...

  Kevin McCallister ’s creativity and ingenuity is brilliant. Michael Jordan on the train. Tar and nails on the steps. Searing hot door knob. Paint cans from the banister. And that’s just a fraction of his creativity, quick thinking, and resourcefulness. The strategy that he employs in Home Alone to outsmart two thieves is impressive. Ok, Harry and Marv don’t have too much upstairs, but they appear to have had some previous success at their job. While most 8 year olds will never have to defend their homes from Wet Bandits on Christmas Eve, we love watching him be the hero, MacGyver style. Just like Kevin, our own kids have that same resourcefulness. They have strategy. They outsmart opponents. They are, quite frankly, brilliant. Yeah, you may not see it every day and for the moments it’s on display, you might not be around. But that’s ok. It’s there. Trust me. This can get very frustrating, though. We want nothing more than to see our kids be the best they can be. We want to see ...

 Shawn Johnson's performance on the balance beam at the 2008 Beijing Olympics is considered one of the best Olympic performances ever on the apparatus. Being a scant 4” wide and a frightening 4’ off the ground, the balance beam is not something that most people can do flips on. Balancing on that skinny thing so high up in the air and then having to do all kinds of acrobatics while not falling off is just insane. I couldn’t even do a round of “head shoulders knees and toes” without landing on the mat.  But when done well, the 90 second routine done by an Olympic athlete can be absolutely amazing. For the rest of us, balancing all of life can seem like an Olympic sized event in itself. Work, family, friends, church, volunteering, and more can seem just as stressful as being in front of over 12.7 million viewers watching your every move. So when parents come alongside their players and guide them in balancing gaming with other responsibilities, it’s a huge win for everyone. ...