Parenting is not easy.

Becoming a parent is one of the toughest things I have done in my life. It is also the most fulfilling thing I have done in my life. I am the father of a teenager. It does not come with a manual.  I have made many mistakes. I have also learned a lot of lessons.

Leanne Cabral, author of A Parent’s Best Gift, talks about parenting, parenting skills, parenting styles, and gives us unique parenting tips.

Leanne, please tell my audience a little about you?

I am a mother, author, speaker, and coach who loves to inspire and equip others to build a living legacy of faith by chasing after the things that matter most. I have a passion for equipping parents as they navigate the awesome task of passing faith on to their children. I encourage parents to make their invisible faith tangible so they can intentionally point their kids to Jesus and build a living legacy of enduring faith. I am married to James and a mom to four teens/emerging adults. I recently released my first book, A Parent’s Best Gift, which is available on Amazon.

Tell us about your book A Parent’s Best Gift?

The best gift we can give our kids is to live our lives in such a way that they know who Jesus is and understand His incredible love for them. While many understand this task, in theory, most of us struggle to practice applying this in everyday life. A Parent’s Best Gift reveals this process, equipping parents with tools and strategies that are simple, applicable, and absolutely doable. Discover freedom, direction, and intentionality as you begin to see this magnificent task broken down into manageable bitesize pieces. I truly believe we all want to be the parents God has called us to be and cultivate faith in our kids that takes root and grows.

Why did you write this book and tell me about your journey as a parent?

This book emerged out of my own quest to figure out a few things as a Mom. I knew that I would be held accountable for how I lived out my faith and pointed my kids to Jesus. I was desperate to find out how to do this in the chaos of everyday life. Questions like how do you make an invisible faith visible and tangible, or How do I teach my kids to pray and to hear God’s voice… drove me. This sent me on quite a journey out of which a 10-talk series emerged as well as a book. What I learned on the journey was that as parents, we are all hungry for the same information… whether you come from a legacy of faith or you are a first-generation believer, we desperately want to be the parents God has called us to be, we just don’t always know-how. This book is about the obstacles that entangled me as the Lord began to deal with my own warped views of Him and myself and then moves into how to get started to create the legacy of faith that you want to build. The last part of the book which is the largest is a practical guide on how to cultivate specific areas of spiritual development within your family, like prayer or hear God, in the chaos of everyday life. I wrote the book I desperately wanted but couldn’t find it.

You call parenting the toughest assignment why?

I call it a sacred assignment, our main thing. With all the good things calling our name we often get distracted and clouded by lesser things and we respond to the tyranny of the urgent instead of intentionally doing the things we actually value most.

Define intentional parenting?

Most of us in parenting are reactive. We respond to the things that come our way … the things that appear urgent but may not actually be. An intentional parent is proactive, knowing what they value and what they want to focus on and cultivate within their family. They have created a family mission statement so that they are very clear on what they stand for as a family and what they want to be known for. They weigh every opportunity against their mission statement so that they can weed out all the good things calling their name and focus on the great things for their family. They create a plan and carve out time to implement what they value.

Give me four practical tips to be a great parent?

Pray

Create a Family Mission Statement. Figure out what you really value as a family – what you want to be known for so you can make your best decisions

Be present … put the distractions down (phone, computer, TV)

Start date nights with your kids where you spend at least one hour of uninterrupted time alone with one child.

I have a 16-year-old. Should I be a father to her or a friend? What are the difference and the result?

Your primary role is to model Jesus to her in your own life and point her to Him. Love and prayer are our most valuable tools.

How is food, faith, finance, and family connected?

They are all ingredients needed for a healthy family and healthy relationships – they need to be stewarded well.

Food – What you put in your body matters, the healthier the food, the healthier the body.

Faith – It is the main thing… none of the others matter if this one isn’t a priority. All the rest will flow out of this.

Finances – We must start from the place of knowing that all we have comes from God, we are simply given the task of stewarding it well.

Family – This is where all the magic happens. It is where faith is lived out in the majesty and in the messiness of life. This is what matters most… how we steward the kids entrusted to us and how we point them to Jesus. It’s in the seemingly mundane and ordinary where faith and faithfulness are cultivated. It’s our primary mission field.

How do you find a balance with the above in this busy world?

We have chosen to intentionally live life at a slower pace for that exact reason… So, we have enough time and margin to focus on what really matters to us and our family. In a world that moves so quickly, we live a slowed-down life where there is room for our soul to breathe and respond to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit.

The post Secrets to Successful Parenting appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Welcome to my new series on Life Insurance For Women. In the introduction, I mentioned the reasons why women need insurance and how it empowers you.

I am going to interview Chad Viminitz on the following topics:

Women are being overcharged, a lot, for mortgage insurance – what you need to know!

Why women talk themselves out of the life insurance they want/need?

How to prepare for the baby- 3 pieces to financial protection (will, mat leave savings, life insurance).

Is underwriting for women different?

In the third interview we focus on how to prepare for a baby, the three pieces of financial protection (will, mat leave savings, life insurance).

Chad having a baby is a significant life event. Why is being financially prepared often ignored?

The simple answer is: a baby’s arrival is much more fun and exciting! Expecting your first or 2nd (and 3rd or 4th) child is full of excitement and unknowns but also can be exhausting, leaving little time for financially practical tasks. Pressing priorities are obvious like getting the baby room/house ready, choosing a name, attending prenatal classes, and still living daily life. Financial matters are often not part of baby conversations with friends and family.

What are 3 ways expecting moms can be financially prepared?

You might not be able to get fully prepared for motherhood but here are three ways you can have your finances in order:

1. Write a will: Your will is the last chance for your wishes to be heard; given this includes what happens to your children, having a will is extremely important. Before the baby arrives you can have your will done, it is standard practice for lawyers to give consideration for future children.

2. Discuss changes to cash flow during a maternity or paternity leave: The cost of having kids can easily catch new parents off guard and people prefer to discuss babies, politics, religion, and personal problems before finances. Financial communication is key to balancing financial priorities with lifestyle. Do a test run and live on a reduced income before the baby arrives and save a little extra during the months leading up to the due date.

3. Apply for life insurance: No one wants to buy life insurance but no one wants to be left financially exposed or for their family to be financially vulnerable. Getting the best term life insurance is now quick, easy and very affordable, with no high-pressure sales. Just get it done and enjoy time with your family!

Why do pregnant women, in particular, need life insurance?

“I’ll get life insurance after the baby is born” is often said but life gets really busy, very fast. It’s normal to want to delay a decision like getting life insurance until we really have to but good intentions don’t always translate into action. Almost 45% of Canadians have no life insurance at all. When the baby arrives so does less sleep, visitors, doctor appointments, parent groups and that doesn’t include regular life (eating, work, house stuff, and other relationships).  Getting your coverage in place in advance ensures you have financial protection for your child and family from day one.

What stops pregnant women from getting these financial tasks completed?

There is a lot going on! Physically one’s body is tired or aching and the anticipation and excitement can emotionally be draining.  Finding the energy and time to see a lawyer, discuss cash flow and get life insurance can be like pulling teeth! Being financially prepared in advance of the delivery can reduce stress and give you more precious time to spend with your newborn. The financial protection for your growing family can be just as critical as reading sleep books.

You say financial security is invisible, can you explain?

When you are sharing your new baby with friends and family, the physical safety of the baby can be seen (ie. car seat, crib, etc) but financial stewardship or safety is invisible. Friends and family don’t see if a will or life insurance is in place and your financial plan is not truly tested until the unthinkable happens — only then will the strength of your financial security be exposed.

How much life insurance do most new parents need?

There are two main goals for having life insurance:

Eliminate Debts (ie. mortgage)

Protect Income (preserve lifestyle)

For most individuals that means having 10-15X their annual income in life insurance coverage. Term life insurance rates are at historic lows making proper coverage for families more affordable than ever.

What is the best life insurance product a new family to purchase?

The best, cheapest, and most appropriate product for most families is 10-year term insurance. A good 10-year term policy gives you the most amount of coverage for the lowest price — allowing life insurance to fit into an already full budget. 20-year term insurance can also provide good protection but it will cost more. My advice is to get the right amount of financial protection (ie. coverage), beneficiaries never ask “Did my partner have a 10 year or 20-year term insurance?” They ask “Did we have enough?”

Why do so many of us procrastinate on getting life insurance?

The anticipation of a child’s arrival is exciting but it also can stir up a sense of tension of “responsibility” and from a financial perspective we are unsure what to do with it. We are also rarely forced to self evaluate our own “financial worth” which can be a strange concept to many. Intuitively, I think most people know that their financial value to their family and children is a big number and that can be scary and with 80% of people overestimate the cost of term life insurance it’s easy for us to push aside the decision to get coverage. The good news is that the best and cheapest form of term life insurance need for most families is at historic lows.

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The post Baby on the Way? How to be Financially Prepared appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.