The Session: The Importance of Laughter

Proverbs 17:22: A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Joyce Meyer writes in her article, “The Benefits of Laughter!”, “Laughter is so important! It’s the outward evidence of inward joy, and it is proven to make you feel better. The joy of the Lord can ease any emotional and physical pain and bring you a new level of satisfaction in life.”

It has been said that laughter is like internal jogging, and I think that is so true. Laughter improves emotional and mental health, it lifts our spirits, and it dispels worry. It’s almost impossible to be anxious and laugh at the same time. This is why we would be wise to express joy in laughter every chance we get.

Laughter helps in the battle against anxiety, fear and worry. It also helps in the battle against stress, which is the body’s response to what the mind is thinking.

Therapeutic Benefits of Laughter in Mental Health: A Theoretical Review, from the National Library of Medicine

Laughter is a strategy that has physical, psychological, and social impact in relationships improving health, ultimately improving the quality of life.

Laughter has a positive effect on the mental health and immune system.

Laughter reduces the stress making hormones found in the blood stream. This helps the impact on your health.

Laughter impacts cortisol, epinephrine, and dopamine levels.

Laughter releases endorphins- happy cells.

If laughter isn’t a “normal” part of us, how do we find it? Watch squirrels act squirrely out our office window? (no….no, I haven’t done that….)

How do we change a culture of battle or sadness to a culture of laughter in our home?

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com or email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com

The Session: Children of Divorce, an Overview of Research and Articles

Matthew 19:14, “Let the little children come to me.”

Children of divorce, living in two households face complex emotional, relational, and spiritual challenges.

The Emotional Impact

• The impact of two houses has a direct hit or impact on the child’s security and stability
• The impact of two houses also causes a grieving process of the loss of having two biological parents in their house
• Children also feel torn between both houses. They fear showing allegiance to one. Parent may hurt the other parent.
• Children off, so feel hesitant and fearful of sharing their feelings in the two households because of the ramifications that could happen
• Often times children do not want to alienate the parent that appears to be hurt or could be hurt

The impact of divorce and two houses on a child relationship with God

• Children can struggle with issues a prayer, trust, and why did God allow this to happen to their family?

Coparenting Strategies for Healing

It is important for split families to focus on grace, forgiveness, and the child's well-being.

Todd Taylor writes in his article, the Secret to Success in Christian Coparenting

• Christian parenting in a split-home environment requires focusing on grace, forgiveness, and the child's well-being.
• The cornerstone of successful Christian co-parenting is always prioritizing your child’s physical and emotional well-being.

DLM Christian Lifestyle

• Daniel Maritz in DLM Christian Lifestyle states that broken families lead to broken societies

Focus on the Family, One Child Two Homes, elaborates on the problems, children face

• They live a life of constant transition.
• Life has two sets of parents, two groups of siblings and two different beds.
• It means switching between different rules and routines and having two homes yet often feeling as if he were not a part of either.
• Parents are often unaware of the stress a child endures when he’s shuffled between two homes.
• Children crave stability. In its absence, they may become territorial about their belongings and their space. Their “things” become their security.

Ways to help children of divorce living in two separate homes

• The major challenge is in having consistent rules between the two houses.
• It’s about making it safe for the children to talk and be heard
• It’s about providing as much stability as possible.
• It’s about security and consistency in their lives

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com or email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com

The Session: Giving our Children Tough Love

Romans 8:38–39, "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Emotions, Teens, and Hormones

• Emotions can be very tumultuous for a teen. Emotions for teenagers can be like unto the life interruption that pre menopause, menopause, and a midlife crisis for a man
• If the upheaval were strictly environmentally driven, it would be hard to predict its onset.
• If it’s hormonally driven, it can be very predictable. Reality suggests it is predictable.
• It has the capability of changing a person’s attitude. An attitude is the total of what a person’s thinking and feeling. When you put it together, you have their attitude.
• The emotional changes coincide with the physical maturation of a teen.
• Human chemistry goes crazy for a period of time. The chemistry issues also impact a teens, mind and decision-making process.
• At the age of 13 to 14, boys awaken to a whole New World, and all of a sudden becomes very aware of what he feels. He can be very stressed by social situations and the fear of being ridicule and embarrassed.

Adolescent society is dominated by beauty for girls & physical maturation for boys.

• The girls beauty is scary for boys (TERRIFYING, ACTUALLY...SCOTT)
• Boys physical characteristics that help in sports intimidate physically immature boys (SCOTT ALWAYS WANTED A 6 PACK)
• Physical strength in boys facilitates the bully into hurting the weaker boys
• The junior/senior prom is dominated by the fear of rejection reaction and ridicule
• The fear of going to school due to harassment and humiliation

Our memories of teen life for our children and us…OH, NOW YOU’RE MEDDLIN’!

Have a New Kid by Friday, by Kevin Lehman

• Kevin promotes tough love by letting our teen children know if they are disrespectful to us that we are less cooperative. A great example would be you were disrespectful to me, so I am not taking you to your friend’s house tonight.

Reality Therapy

• Reality therapy was created by William Glasser to help troubled teens.
• Similar to Kevin Lehman, reality therapy lets teens learn on their own. We allow life to teach them and not be the heavy ourselves. A great example is if they need to be ready to catch the team bus to one of their sporting events, but they’re poking around and not motivated to get there on time, we allow them to miss the bus.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS FROM DR. DOBSON THAT YOU STUDIED OVER THE YEARS?

A devotional podcast for parents on the go! Encouragement, Scripture, & prayer in just 7 minutes. Join the journey!

To reach Tom Russell, visit his website at https://www.heritagechristiancounselingofmansfield.com or email Tom at tom.hccm@gmail.com