Making Virtues a Daily Part of Your Family Life

One of your most important responsibilities as a parent is to pass your faith and values on to your children. It may also be one of your most challenging tasks. A shocking turn of events at the 2008 Summer Olympics illustrates why.

Both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relay teams were expected to compete for the gold medal. Instead, neither team made it to the finals. Their exit from competition wasn’t because another country outran them. No, both American teams went home early after they dropped the baton during an exchange.

Runners almost never drop the baton during the middle of their relay leg when the race is in full sprint. It’s when they’re handing off the baton to a teammate that things can easily fall apart.

The exchange is where things can go wrong for parents as well. If we aren’t intentional about passing our beliefs to our children and helping them develop a solid foundation for their futures, their values will be shaped primarily by their friends, social media, or the entertainment industry.

How can parents ensure a successful exchange of values to their children?

We’re answering that question on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Making Virtues a Daily Part of Your Family Life.”

Our guest is author Courtney DeFeo, who shares a wealth of practical and fun ideas to help parents teach their children about timeless virtues such as love, gratitude, forgiveness, respect, perseverance, service, and humility.

Parents often contact us here at Focus seeking ideas for transmitting their beliefs to their children. Many of these moms and dads have tried it all – from nightly devotions to reading Bible stories at bedtime. You’ve probably had varying degrees of success with similar ideas yourself.

Our conversation with Courtney covers specific activities you can organize along with everyday circumstances you can tap into and help your children experience the virtues you’re hoping they’ll learn. As you’ll hear, there’s a difference between lecturing your kids about being generous Christians and creating opportunities for them to encounter in real ways what it looks and feels like to be generous.

Join us for our conversation on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.

I’d like to extend an invitation for you to become a special partner with us through our monthly “Friends of Focus on the Family” program. When you do, I’ll send you a copy of Courtney DeFeo’s book Lead Me: Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith as a way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. You’ll also receive member-exclusive benefits. To make your pledge, or for more information, visit our website or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459)