Sherry Quinley joins me for Episode 83 to talk about lessons on life, marriage and parenting. Take a minute and think of someone older than you who you love gleaning wisdom and advice from. Think about the questions you would ask them. Think about what you admire about them. Sherry is one of those people to me. She and her husband, Chuck, have raised 6 kids. They’ve been married for 35 years and now have 5 grandkids. When you meet them, it doesn’t take long to realize that they love God and love people well. They currently live in Thailand but have lived in the US, Jamaica and the Philippines. Over a cup of coffee, I ask Sherry about what it was like raising kids outside of the US, how to raise brave kids, and how to have a healthy marriage that stands the test of time. 

Links:

• MediaLight
• Simple Parenting, Raising Confident and Cooperative Kids by Sherry and Chuck Quinley

Takeaways From Our Conversation:

• One of the takeaways from our conversation was her advice about first encounters. She said that the first time you see someone whether that is your husband or kid, let that be a positive encounter. That is a struggle for me because usually the first encounter with my kids is before coffee or the first encounter with my husband is when the work day is finished and usually involves some sort of frustration due to said kids during the cooking experience. I’ve heard people say that women are the CMO (chief mood officer) of the home. We have the power to set the mood for the people in our lives. So, I’m going to work on that.

• Prioritize your spouse. Make time for them. I liked her advice on how to make intentional time for each other. Have a day date each week and every night sit and have a conversation eye to eye.

• We often say to our kids, "Be careful," but maybe we need to say, "Be brave." Push them forward. Don’t pass your own fears onto your kids. And when you don't feel like you can do that, surrender your fear to the sovereignty of God. God is writing a story on your kids' lives.

• As a couple, determine what your core values are and then build your family around that. Seasons are always changing in parenting. So, just ride the wave. The wave goes up and the wave goes down. In the season with our kids, sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down. Don’t beat yourself up when you make mistakes. Just ride the wave.

• And have fun. We need to remember to play. Life doesn’t have to be so serious.

What did you enjoy about this episode? What was your takeaway. Let's continue the conversation  on Instagram or Twitter or you can send me an email here. 

Thank you for following along life with me. I love being apart of your day. And as always, I hope this show helps you survive a little easier.