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Read MoreAre your parenting batteries depleted?
Could you use some encouragement and inspiration to help you on the parenting journey? Would you like some tips and ideas for ways to have fun and to make memories with your child? Then you’re at the right place and we’re glad you’ve joined us! Eighteen years sounds like a long time—but you really have just 18 summers . . . and we want to help you make the most of them.
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Read MoreSo how did the Just 18 Summers® brand come about?
My pastor, Rev. Ralph Sexton, dedicated a baby at church one Sunday. As the parents walked off the platform, he said, “Don’t forget, you have just 18 summers. Take time to make some memories.” Whew, the poignancy of that slammed into me and I knew at that moment that God wanted me to do something with that thought.
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Read MoreWe want Just 18 Summers® to be about YOU.
We’d love to hear from you with your thoughts, ideas, and ways we can help you on the parenting journey.
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Read MorePlease help us spread the word about Just 18 Summers®!
Post about us on Facebook and Twitter. Tell your friends and family. Tell your pastors, family ministry leaders, and organizations about Just 18 Summers. Let’s encourage and strengthen families across our nation and the world!
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Recent From A Happy Home
Recent From A Lasting Faith
Recent From A Cherished Family
Most Recent Articles
Just 18 Summers … Done
Yes, it’s over. Our eighteenth summer. Well, her eighteenth summer. We were unable to share our black haired, almond-eyed beauty’s first summer as she was tucked away in an orphanage in China, but we’ve sure made up for it every summer since. That baby who had cheeks for days and a beauty queen wave as we walked to the front of her Pastor Daddy’s church the first Sunday after her arrival in America, just a few months ago walked across the stage of that very same church to be recognized as a high school senior. It’s true what they say, “Before you know it, she’ll be heading off to college.” We’re there. We marked off milestones one by one. College choice made. Orientation a breeze. Housing assignment received. Roommate announced. First payment paid. Classes scheduled. Move in is next. We’ve prepared. The soft, cozy, and super cute comforter is ready to be topped with all the fun pillows and the perfect plush throw. Her artistic flair will shine in the adornment of dorm walls … lots of adornment. And then all the necessities. All. The. Necessities. Days of shopping. Delightful (mostly) days of shopping. Instructions have been given. How to do laundry. Reminders of basic room cleanliness guidelines. How to handle finances. Dealing with...
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Fill the Bucket
My house has been struggling lately. It’s August, patience is running thin, and school is starting soon. The days are long, nights too short, and mom guilt is setting in. I’m feeling guilty for the summer workbooks we didn’t complete, the reading minutes we didn’t quite finish, and the time I worried about laundry instead of loving. I have no doubt my children know they are loved, but I often feel guilty about the times I say “no” or “in just a minute” and I wonder how often I’m poking holes in their bucket opposed to filling it. My children and I read the book, How Full is Your Bucket? The book describes each person as having a bucket that you have the opportunity to fill or deplete with your actions. We use the analogy often in our home. In response to a behavior, I will ask if they think they filled or poked a hole in their sibling’s bucket. We talk about it in public too, relating the analogy to the actions of strangers. It’s meaningful and powerful. It’s something they understand and something I try to make a conscious effort to implement. I am always looking for new ways to fill my children’s buckets and would love to hear your thoughts in...
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Sunday Wiggles
In retrospect, we shouldn’t have been running late to the evening service. And we probably shouldn’t have squeezed a family of five onto an already tight pew near the back of the church. But the early summer day had been pure magic—mild, sunny, and a glorious playground for the afternoon. The girls had expressed reluctance to end their time of play and to prepare for the late worship hour. But mom and dad had insisted, and here we were....
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Made in His Image
I tilted the bag upside down and watched as the potting soil tumbled into the large plastic container. As the mound of dirt grew higher, my children’s eyes grew wider. My 14-month-old gasped in delight and my three-year-old began a dance not unlike the I’ve-really-gotta-go dance. Back and forth, left foot, right foot. The kind of dance that takes over when you can barely contain your excitement for what’s ahead. I dropped a shovel and a few cups into...
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Three Essential Communication Tools with Our Children
I remember telling someone, “I can’t control my kids, especially my seven-year-old. I have to get after him all the time. He doesn’t listen to me. Every morning before school, he starts to play and I have to talk to him three or four times. Then I threaten that he’ll be punished, but he doesn’t care. I get so mad because I have to talk to him over and over again.” I knew I had a communication problem but...
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The Power of the Story
One of my favorite trends in home design currently has to be the reclaimed and vintage category. These are items that people are finding and reusing in a new way. For instance, a lighting company in Tennessee is taking wood timbers from a dock in a port and is making light fixtures from them. The beams are rough, but solid and are sanded down and remade into a new and useful product. In addition, there are some great stories...
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The Art of Sitting Down
Marybeth picked up her two boys from school and listened as they told about their day. Her concern grew as her eleven-year-old, Andrew, shared about a boy who was being unkind to him day after day. Nothing upsets a mama more than a bully. Andrew’s gentle nature and kind heart made him an easy prey for mean boys. His mama listened, and then told him that he needed to stand up for himself. “You can still be kind, but...
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