Don't Be Afraid to Try Something New

This fall, my wife and I are going out on a limb just a little. OK, a lot. We are hosting eleven couples along with their 24 kids at our house for a different kind of small group. We're actually calling it a parenting discussion group. We are utilizing clips from the ABC series Supernanny to kickoff conversation about various parenting related topics. This upcoming week we will be discussing the subject of routine, and we will be talking about respect the following week. The hope is that we'll provide parents with a forum to enhance their parenting skills. We're also hoping that this will provide another chance for connection and community. Several of the families who are signed up for group have never been in a group like this before.

Honestly, we're not sure how this whole thing is going to work. It's an exciting subject matter, and it has been amazing to see the response. But... it seems rather daunting as well. This is a big group for holding a discussion where everyone can contribute. This is also a large group of kids to be managing in our basement and backyard. Obviously, we will be forced to be creative in finding ways for both kids and adults to get along and make the most of our weekly time together. Splitting the kids up for childcare will be one method we'll try. Splitting the adults up for smaller discussion groups will be another thing we'll attempt.

Will all this work? We're not sure. We hope so! Bottom line is that sometimes you have to take a leap of faith.

We'd love to hear some of your crazy and creative efforts to help people find community. Let us know.