Last Spring, Cherokee organized a parenting focused Bible study. Though the overall theme was being Godly parents, part of it was to set down core family values. These would be a priority for the family. Ideally, the children would also provide input into what they thought was important.

Then there’s our children.

Cherokee and I liked the idea. Our family should set some internal goals to work on. We should figure out what we would prioritize. We could all be better people. Again, that was the idea.

Cherokee and I have ended up with less than formal goals.

We prioritize family. That means we want time together. It can be hiking, kayaking, fishing, board games, or just a movie night.  We want shared experiences and quality time.

We sat down with the kids to solicit their values, twice actually. The first time was a joke and they were not cooperating. The second time, we set a limit. We told them we just wanted 10 minutes to come up with a list of values that we wanted to focus on and live up to.

After going down more than a few rabbit holes, this is what we have:

Faith

We believe in God. We believe Jesus died for us. We don’t have to be “at church” every second to worship God, though. We can do this in the car, hiking, wherever.

Family time

We prioritize family time. We set limits on extracurriculars so we can just have quality time with each other.

Independence

Be our own person. Have our own identities and interests. Do what we want to do. Don’t do things just because everyone else is.

Generosity

Help others when we can. Volunteer our time. Be good humans.

Education

Learn. Academics are important, but so are life skills. Learn how to be self-sufficient. Travel the world and learn about other cultures.

Environmental/Crunchy

We like to recycle, garden, compost, and thrift stop. We have solar panels and we use rain barrels. Being environmentally friendly is important to us.

Health

We try to eat healthy and stay active, but we also believe strongly in improving mental health. Mental health is just as important as physical health.