Hi.
We’re Jeffrey and Amy Olrick, and we’re glad you’re here. We believe that being a parent is a radical invitation to growth and connection for both you and your child, and so we’re creating this space to explore what the intersection of faith and science has to teach us about healthy human development. We hope you’ll find encouragement and direction for the journey you’re on with your little (or not so little) ones here.
We also hope you’ll release the idea that there is a wrong or a right way to be a parent. Instead, embrace where you are right now, and believe that your story is unfolding in its own mysterious way, with its own unique beauty. Then together, let’s offer our hopes and dreams and worries for our kids up to the God who holds them. The God of the wild and wilderness who constantly calls us back to each other and on to love—a love that will not let any one of us go.
Drawing on decades of psychological research, neuroscience, and our own experience as parents and people of faith, THE 6 NEEDS OF EVERY CHILD: Empowering Parents and Kids through the Science of Connection presents six relational needs for human growth that will transform the way you think about your child—and yourself. Together, the needs form a trustworthy compass to guide you and your child to a path of purpose and relational wholeness.
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Conversations
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March 4, 2021Episode 8: A Guide to Connection with Lori Beth Auldridge
A discussion on how staying present with our kids over time, through the hard things, builds strengt
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March 11, 2021Episode 9: The Transforming Power of Delight with Kelle Hampton
In this episode, we introduce the importance of delight and discuss how faith and science come toget
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March 18, 2021Episode 10: Support that Embraces Mistakes with Daniel & Christina Im
A conversation about what healthy support looks like for our kids, and why children grow stronger wh
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March 25, 2021Episode 11: Boundaries that Free Kids to Grow with Valarie Kaur
A discussion on how to give our kids healthy boundaries so they can safely grow strong while learnin
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April 1, 2021Episode 12: Protecting our Kids from True Harm with D.L. & Krispin Mayfield
What research shows us about real dangers kids face and how opportunities to overcome manageable amo
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April 8, 2021Episode 13: Comfort that Strengthens our Kids with Claire Bidwell Smith
It's natural to want to dismiss or move quickly past our kids’ suffering, but making time for comf
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April 22, 2021Episode 14: Equipping that Gives Vision with Hope with Dr. Andrés Panasiuk
A conversation about the power of approaching our children’s pain with curiosity and how to help k
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April 29, 2021Episode 15: The Key to Connection: Repair after Pain with Andrew Hanauer
A conversation on repair and the importance of being open to making things right after moments of pa
Much of the way we’ve been taught to think about parenting focuses on what to do with our kids, rather than the unique, individual relationship that we have with them.
We believe it’s time to put aside our worries over whether or not parenting is something we’re doing well and ask ourselves a better question:
“HOW SHALL I BE WITH THIS PERSON?”
As our kids are growing, we can grow, too.
Understanding how our children are developing and how we can support that development leads to healthier relationships within our families and more thriving futures for our kids.
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Voices
Draw strength from wit, insight, and courage of fellow parents’ stories, and discover how others have journeyed similar ground.
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May 12, 2019The Question Game, when I don’t have answers
My son is not much of a talker. When he crosses the street from his bus, he rarely looks at me. He does not say hello. I want details about his entire day: a little momen
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May 9, 2019When shame encounters the God who is Love
Here’s a composite memory: I am five, eight, twelve, sixteen years old. I’ve sassed my mother, or lied to my father. I’ve ruined a new dress, stayed out too late, m
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May 8, 2019Where in the world are our kids?
These days we communicate via cell phone, email, texting, Facebook, Twitter, Skype and who knows what else. Regardless where our children roam, we expect to be able to st