Published: August 15, 2024
These parenting tips will improve the atmosphere in your home
By Movieguide® Contributor
Candace Cameron Bure recently hosted Dr. Josh and Christi Straub on her podcast to learn how parents can create a positive atmosphere at home.
“I always talk about fighting for peace in the home,” Dr. Josh began. “You have to fight for peace; you have to pray for it, you have to fight for it, because the world is just trying to create chaos, right, and so we have to pay attention to the atmosphere in our home to figure out how we can make sure that our home is a place of (peace).”
Movieguide® previously reported about the Straubs:
Raising children and supporting a successful family has been a priority for Josh and Christi and they have now turned that into an organization called Famous at Home.
Through their organization, the Straubs help “leaders and families cultivate emotional connections and spiritual growth.”
In homes that could use a little more quiet, Dr. Josh recommends that parents identify the area that needs improvement and develop a plan to work on it.
“Maybe it’s exhaustion, maybe it’s anger, maybe it’s complaining, maybe it’s fear. What is the spirit in your home that you just feel is bringing us all down as a family, and can you recognize that and say, ‘Okay, what small change can we make to change the atmosphere?'”
When the Straubs realized there was too much complaining in their house, they set up a “complaint jar.” Every time a child complained, they had to put a quarter in the jar. When it was full, they donated the money to the church or some other good cause.
“Part of it was saying, ‘Let’s help others and realize how grateful we actually are,'” he continued. “We don’t have to complain and bitch about things that we don’t have to complain and bitch about, and then we flipped it around so that if the kids caught us bitching and bitching, we had to put a dollar in the jar. So it was one of those things where everyone was really held accountable, but we all paid attention. And now suddenly everyone is paying attention to who’s bitching, who’s complaining, and that’s slowly started to change the atmosphere in our house.”
“So… just change what that might be. It could also very well be something in your marriage, you know? One of the things Christie and I decided recently is we have this porch swing, and right after the kids were in bed, we realized we weren’t in touch as much, and we were arguing a little bit,” he said. “… That allowed us to reconnect about what had happened in the week, what the next day would bring, and it just started to change.”
When they took the time to talk about their schedule together, they found that they were happier and got along better in their home.
Josh, Christi and their organization frequently share parenting tips on social media, podcasts and speaking engagements. One tip Josh often recommends to parents is to get on their children’s level when they are experiencing strong emotions.
In another episode with Bure and on Instagram, Josh told parents to “sit with your kids until they calm down and then come off into their own world” because their brains are too overwhelmed to process instructions or corrections without being calmed down first.
The Straubs’ book, Famous at Home, teaches parents how to make family one of their top priorities at a time when parents are more distracted than ever by many other distractions.
The Straubs say, “You can be truly famous at home if you present yourself consciously and meaningfully to your biggest fans. It all starts with realizing that the biggest red carpet you will ever walk on is through your own front door.”
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