Crazy Cool Family

#255: Parenting & Play Therapy (Feat. McKenzie Reaume)

“Play is their language; toy is their words.” - Kenzie
Our 4th daughter, McKenzie joins the podcast today and PARENTS- YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EPISODE. There are so many valuable tools, mindsets, and words of wisdom shared by Kenzie. She is passionate about giving kids language and helping parents strengthen family relationships.
“If you play with them when they are little, they will feel safe when they are older.” - Suz
Topics:
How playing draws out a child
Counselor's role in play therapy
Allowing space for the work to unfold
How to know if counseling is needed
Identifying emotions and helping kids have language skills
Other, parent included therapy options
Being a present parent during the counseling season
Questions to ask counselor:
Any personal “need to know” about counselor
Resources you can have to help child post session
What does confidentiality look like?
Knowing more about the process
Asking to see the playroom
How to honor the process post session
Resources:
Raising Emotionally Strong Boys
The Whole Brainchild
Deeray (Author) has lots of helpful books
Podcast Resources:
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#254: The Universal Impact of Special Needs on a Family (Feat Steve and Katie Keene)

How do we talk about special needs within families?
Humbly and with kindness. This topic can be sensitive and a lot of people do not know how to approach it. We invited Katie and Steve Keene onto today’s episode because they carry wisdom, experience, and passion for families who have special needs kids.
Keene’s first son created a life they didn’t expect and brought special needs into their family. They’ve been married 23 years and have 5 children. They love all their kids and admit to the hardships their family faces due to special needs. BUT they have not let it discourage them - instead they are investing in family and helping other families do the same! They feel called outward to help families who were also struggling. They started a membership site and podcast as an avenue to help families have community.
Steve and Katie Keene join us to talk about a unique and often sensitive topic within the family. They have experience with special needs children and have a passion for families with special needs children. Katie shares about the definition of special needs and how we are sensitive to it. There are so many needs impacting families daily. Steve dives deep into the power of asking, listening, and being willing to serve families such as theirs. Everything they say is insightful and practical!
Here are things talks about in this episode:
How special needs impacts family
Parenting kids with high needs
The value of community amidst raising kids with challenges
How can you help families with kids who have special needs?
Ask AND keep asking!
Truly listen to their needs and help them!
Offer to help them in their homes
Be transparent, don’t try to equate it to your life problems
Don’t talk about yourself, listen to them – go further!
Keep inviting them to events, even if you know they can’t come
Katie and Steve have lots of ways they help families with special needs children. They value community and desire for every family to feel loved, known, and equipped to love their child, no matter what challenges they face. Check out their link below to learn how you can help or be helped in this area of family.
Podcast Resources:
Katie and Steve's Resources
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#253: Relating to Littles, Middles, and Bigs - Do You Want Respect?

Do you want respect from your kids?
We valued this in our home, but what did it look like? Does respect equate to obedience? Talking in the correct tone and verbiage? If you want your kids to “Respect” you, there are a few things you need to consider investing in. In today’s episode we are going to discuss the battle for respect within a home. It looks different for every child at every age.
If respect is a constant battle in your home, then this episode is for you! Let’s jump in!
Things to unpack:
What is your definition of respect?
How did this play out in your home when you had small kids?
Get on their eye level and use your words to direct them.
Show them respect when changing activities, treat them older than they are- like people not like lesser than.
Middle aged?
Give them more responsibilities and opportunities to be given respect
And now older kids?
As a parent you are building respect in the younger years for this season! Now is the time to talk with respect to your child.
Use questions, conversation, mistakes to grow respect.
What is at the heart of respect?
To like and value someone .
What is it about for the small, middle-aged, and older kid?
How do we find the root issue? (these are good but we did not address this... remember for another time)
How did you correct your kids when they “disrespected” you?
Point it out- call it disrespect, and above all else be an example of respecting them first!
Verses:
Proverbs 23:22 - Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.
Proverbs 1:8-9 - Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. (9) They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn your neck.
Exodus 20:12 - Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
Conclusion:
What are 1-2 ways parents can cultivate mutual respectfulness in their homes? What do they do if they feel like it’s hopeless and their kids can’t unlearn their behaviors?
Clear the slate: Ask for forgiveness
Pay attention to your tone & facial expressions
Have a conversation to define respect and the desire for it in your relationships
Podcast Resources:
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#252: What is Biblical Accountability (feat. Rod Handley)

Rod Handley joins the podcast to talk about character, integrity, and accountability.
He has been in FCA ministry for many years and has devoted his life to the Kingdom. He has had many decades of faithful service and we can learn a lot from his faith and wisdom.
The word of the day is accountability. Rob talks about it in depth. Through his own journey with purity, he shares the supernatural power of God and how He uses accountability to bring believers together and pursue righteousness.
Here is what we discuss in today's episode:
Definition of BIBLICAL accountability.
How/Why God made Rob passionate about accountability.
Practical ways to live in accountability.
How accountability can change the trajectory of your life.
The power of saying YES instead of "stop it."
How to teach accountability to your children.
At the end of the day, scripture is clear that we cannot do this life on our own. We are not designed to live alone and remain holy. We need the personal relationship with God AND the accountability with people. Rob is passionate about accountability because he has seen the fruit in his life.
Practical Tips fro
Lead with your lamp
Don't freak out
Hear and process what we hear from our kids to bring freedom
How can you live in accountability today?
Check out Rob's resources if you want to go deeper with this topic for you and for your family.
Podcast Resources:
Rob Handley's Resources
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#251: How to be a Team When Parenting Your Kids

Do you feel like you have differences in discipline? How do you handle a disengaged spouse in a family?
Don and Suz talk about the HOT topic of different parenting styles. If you are feeling alone in parenting or on a different team than your spouse - then this podcast is for you!
Things we talk about in this episode:
Building your parenting foundation together
How to be a team in parenting decisions
Focusing on values not methods (explanation is POWERFUL!)
Learning from our mistakes and avoid disunity in your parenting
There are so many ways we can feel alone or on different pages when it comes to parenting with our spouse. We want you to learn from our mistakes. We share things in this podcast that will help you rethink parenting, being a supportive teammate, and discipling our kids in a way that builds relationships.
We also speak specifically to the spouse who is carrying the relational load, and their spouse is checked out. If you can relate to this, listen to the podcast and really tune into the last 10-15 minutes - they are recorded for you. You are not alone and there is a lot of good truth in this episode to inspire and challenge you.
Take in the truth today and share it with a friend who needs help in this area of parenting.
Podcast Resources:
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#250: Celebration is Simple, Biblical, and Powerful

Big Milestone this week! Today's episode is all about...
Celebration! Let's Celebrate! It's Episode #250 and we are so thankful for all the listeners who have stuck with us through 6 seasons and hopefully a lot of encouragement!
Today's topic is celebration. We believe celebration is BIBLICAL and so worth it for your family. When you choose to celebrate, your family feels valuable and learns more about their individual identity AND your family's culture.
"Celebration is tied to theology. People in the Bible celebrated the goodness of God. Celebration is stopping and seeing how GOOD God has been!" - Don
Things we cover in this episode:
How did we celebrate milestones within our family?
Going all out (even on a budget) to celebrate one member of the family
Showing our kids how celebration is really about honor
Celebration + Tradition = Family Culture
Know your child and how they want to be celebrated
How do simplify celebration and not set too high of expectations on your self
Parents, we invite you to be intentional in your celebration as we head into Spring + Summer. This is a chance for us to love on our family members and create joy in our home.
Go and celebrate this week and see how it changes the dynamics in your family.
Podcast Resources:
Sign up for the 3 Week Cohort on Effective Correction
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#249: Choosing NOT to Live in the Middle (Feat. Shiraz Siddique)

Are you looking for something more? Tired of living in complacency?
Shiraz is passionate about helping people thrive in work and ministry. His focus is on helping people balance serving the local church and being passionate about the Kingdom of God. We were not made to be comfortable living in the middle – we are called to be passionate about the purpose God has given us.
Shiraz talks about the heart behind helping people be kingdom minded AND thrive in the business spheres. If you feel like there is more to life than this podcast is designed to inspire and equip you to think higher and live passionate about God’s purposes with the time you have here on earth.
Things talked about in the podcast:
Kingdom values in the workplace
How focusing on the Kingdom helps your workplace
No such thing as work-life balance, so what do you do?
Taking ownership of God’s plan for your life
Purpose comes from intimacy with God
“We can’t live in the middle – it's dangerous. When you know, you are called to do something, we need to take the heart of a courageous one and do something about it.” - Shiraz
Podcast Resources:
Shiraz's Resources
Sign up for the 3 Week Cohort on Effective Correction
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#248: How to lead your family and WIN! (Feat. Cory Carlson)

Are you winning at family?
We have a BONUS podcast today with our friend, Cory Carlson. He is a life coach, father, husband, and passionate man of God. He loves helping people deepen relationships and accomplish life goals.
Things we talk about in the podcast:
How do you know if you’re winning or losing at work and at home?
Valuing one on one time with each person in your family
Intensity awareness within family
The value of intentionality with family relationships
The power of think time – what is it and how do you start benefiting from it today
Everything Cory says will inspire and challenge you to live your best life, not just for you but for everyone in your family. He will give you helpful mindsets and tools to build your best family. If you want more from Cory – check out his resources in the links below.
Podcast Resources:
Cory's Resources
Sign up for the 3 Week Cohort on Effective Correction
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#247: Relating to Littles, Middles, and Bigs - Learning to Wait Well

We are back with the Littles, Middles, and Bigs conversation and the topic we are breaking down is – waiting!
There are so many scriptures that help us show our kids God’s way to wait. If your child struggles with patience or waiting well – then start by reading through these scriptures to equip yourself with TRUTH to teach your kids from.
Ephesians 4:32
Psalm 21:14
Isaiah 40:31
Psalm 37:7
Galatians 6:9
“Waiting with God is a good thing and teaching our kids to wait is essential.” - Suz
How do you teach your Littles, Middles, and Bigs to wait? Here are a few practical tips for each age group. Check them out and apply them to your kids
Littles:
Share the plan and remind them why we are waiting/how long we need to wait
Recognize the battle of wills and don’t allow it to generate anger
Give them something practical to do while they wait
Middles:
Realize it’s more about emotional and spiritual maturity
How we can come alongside them and expose them to the things of the world
The goal is to be informed not permissive when it comes to things of the world
Reminding your child that you are for them
Bigs:
Realize they want to do things they are not physically ready to do
Teach waiting by showing how you value them + a relationship with them
Don't wait too long to be done waiting
No matter what season your children are in, waiting is part of their everyday life. As parents, when we learn how to steward the “waiting seasons” well, we build strong relationships with our kids.
So, go parents and practice waiting well with your kids! When done well, it will help your kids mature physically, emotionally, and spiritually!
“On the other side of waiting is goodness.” - Suz
Podcast Resources:
Sign up for the 3 Week Cohort on Effective Correction
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram

#246: Afraid Your Child Doesn’t Want to Know God?

What do you do if your child does not know God?
Today we are unpacking the Kid-God line and as parents, we get the first and deepest opportunity to show our kids Jesus BUT it is not up to us to make the decision for them.
“What we want is for our kids to KNOW God, not just know about him - but really really know Him for themselves.” - Suz
Main things we discuss:
A child’s faith timeline
Create space for child to build their own relationship with God
How God uses the fear of our kids not knowing Him
Selling Jesus to our kids – we MUST!
“God wants your children to know Him MORE than you do! When we believe this, we get to partner with God and work within HIS plan for our child’s faith.” - Suz
This episode unpacks practical ways for you to sell Jesus to your kids without forcing a relationship on them – or worse – expecting and judging our kids into knowing God. Following Jesus is relational and when we focus on this aspect of Christianity, our kids are attracted to it. Even in middle school and on, they are wired and designed for relationships. When you show them a loving, present, gracious God – they will want to know more!
A few ways to invest in the Kid-God relational line:
Create space for curiosity
Get on your knees and pray against the enemy
Share your testimony and why you love following God
NEVER GIVE UP
Lastly, we unpack the ALIVE method. This is a CCF acronym we fully explain in our Building Family Relationships Guide. If you want to learn more about the ALIVE method, buy the guides today!
Podcast Resources:
Sign up for the 3 Week Cohort on Effective Correction
Join the 5 Day Family Challenge
Visit the CCF Store
Follow us on Instagram