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The number one thing is that we try to model these things for our kids because kind mothers and kind fathers raise kind kids, but it's not an overnight thing.

That's Courtney DeFaeo referring to a common conundrum for parents, how to teach character values to our kids and model those same values in our own lives.

And maybe that's been a challenge for you. If so, we have some help on today's episode of Focus on the Family. Your host is Focus President and author Jim Daly and I'm John Fuller.

John, I don't think kindness was a problem for me. Well, most of the time as a dad, but patience certainly was because raising children can bring out the worst in us and we all need the Lord's help to do that job well.

I'm sure many moms and dads listening right now want to establish a good and healthy foundation for their children, helping them to grow up and become responsible adults and integrate their faith into every part of their lives. That's what Christian parents desire.

Yeah, and that's what they tell us when they call this one of the main reasons parents contact us. They want help, especially with the spiritual training of their children.

A lot of mom and dads though don't feel qualified to do that effectively. They they want and need some tools.

And that's why focus is here to equip and empower you to share your faith with your children. We have so many resources that can help you do that.

One of those resources is a conversation that I recorded a while back with Courtney DeFaio. She's an author, speaker, blogger and podcast host and she wrote a wonderful book that we'd like to tell you more about today.

The title is in this house, we will giggle making virtues love and laughter a daily part of your family life. What a great resource.

Yeah, and we have copies of that book here at the ministry and details are in the program notes or you can call 800 the letter A in the word family.

And Jim, I was out of the office as you spoke with Courtney and so we invite you're missing days.

Every now and then. So our colleague Kim Troube filled in and here's how the conversation began with Courtney DeFaio on today's focus on the family.

You talked about what you thought parenting was going to be like and then the little ones arrived and it didn't quite fit with your expectations.

Most parents experience that talk about that disconnect what you thought was going to happen and what really happened.

Absolutely. The best illustration I can give you is the pottery barn kids catalog and I don't know if a parent out there that didn't flip through those dreamy pictures.

Yes, they are so cute and my nursery is going to be so clean and lavender and the diapers are going to be stacked up just like that.

And my kids are going to have these outfits on and we are going to sit into a puzzle.

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