The Character Movement — Blog by Youth Frontiers

January 23, 2014 In Parenting

Raising a Kind Daughter

A friend of mine recently sent me the link to a blog post that resonated with me. It was written by Kari Kampakis, an author and newspaper columnist in Alabama. Her blog focuses on her family life and the art of raising four daughters. In a recent post on the 10 common mistakes parents make, Kampakis wrote that the number one mistake was underestimating character. “Character, moral fiber, an inner compass… these things lay the foundation for a happy, healthy future.” Like the rest of us, she recognizes the importance of trying to help her kids get an “A” in life.READ MORE

January 16, 2014 In Leadership, Parenting

Little Acts of Service

“One, two, three, four…” That’s the sound of my daughter, Tess, quietly counting buttons. When she comes into Youth Frontiers’ office, I try to find little ways for her to help out. It’s a way to keep her mind occupied and it gives her a feeling of service. Most of the time, this means the somewhat monotonous task of counting buttons. READ MORE

January 9, 2014 In Parenting

A Call to Retreat

Whenever I’m speaking to parents, corporate leaders or educators, the first thing I do is acknowledge how the audience (whether it’s three people or 300) has probably made some kind of extra effort to gather together. No doubt all of them rushed to work that morning, rushed through the meetings of the day or rushed through dinner to get to the event on time. So the first thing out of my mouth is, “Thanks for being here. No need to rush now. It’s okay for us to slow down this hour.”READ MORE

December 23, 2013 In Parenting

What kind of person do you want to be?

By Joe Cavanaugh, Founder & CEO

We’ll be ringing in the new year in just a couple days and I’ve heard countless people talking about making New Year’s resolutions. I get it – it’s a natural time to reflect on your life and set goals for the future. But according to Forbes Magazine, just eight percent of Americans achieve their New Year’s goals. To avoid being in the eight percent group, we have a “less-annual” approach for goal-setting in our home.READ MORE