Give the Gift of Connection
The Power of Slow, Low, and Listen
Meet the Webb Family from Florida
Parents all over the world are experiencing “aha” moments of grace when things begin to change. Change in their hearts, their parenting motivation, their long-term parenting goals, and the way they see their kids. And, ultimately, their relationship with Christ.
Each week, we are excited to introduce you to parents who are able to finish the sentence, “Things began to change when….” These stories of transformation are made possible because of the ongoing generosity of our Donor Team. This week, meet the Webb family from Florida.
Before Connected Families, we were experiencing a lack of consistency within the home when it came to daily rhythms and expectations. Before listening and obeying, our kids often pushed us to our last straw. One of our girls, in particular, would become very angry when things didn’t go her way. We were flying by the seat of our pants, constantly threatening consequences with no follow-up. We felt like we were randomly pointing our girls to Christ but frequently just trying to survive the teachable moments.
Because we were struggling, we sought parent coaching through our church. A friend of ours, Cindy Wilson, had recently become a coach. We began receiving coaching, listening to podcasts, reading articles, and following Connected families on social media.
Bedtimes were leading to frustration and arguments
Bedtime routines (showers, brushing teeth, getting in bed) were some of our most significant stressors, leading to many arguments, yelling, and frustrations. We were always quick to react; the louder we were, the more seriously we expected our kids to take us. Well, that wasn’t working well.
We learned that listening and giving them a chance to speak sometimes went way further with them than just expecting them to jump at every beck and call.
Courtney Webb
One of the tools Cindy gave us during a coaching session was “Slow, Low, and Listen.”
We started taking a step back when things were escalating. Getting on their level physically gave them space to let us know what prevented them from listening the first time. We would talk through what would happen if the nighttime routine wasn’t finished on time (they might miss out on an opportunity to play a game) and bring them into the conversation rather than just giving orders. Not all nights go amazingly well, but we are definitely getting more calm nights than we were before!
It boils down to this: Things began to change when we started treating our kids like tiny humans and not as little robots. We learned that listening and giving them a chance to speak went way further with them than just expecting them to jump at every beck and call.
