Hi, there! I’m Lynnette Sheppard. I wish we could meet in real life and chat over a cold glass of lemonade but, for now, digital introductions will have to do. I am the resident blogger, podcaster, and certified leadership parenting coach in this little corner of the Internet, where raising children with love, leadership, and common sense is the name of the game.
I’m so glad you’re here!
I am the mother of five, most of whom are currently teens and young adults. Two have left home to make their own way in the world, and another three are right on their heels. Watching them grow into top-notch humans is turning out to be one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
But my parenting journey has not always been smooth sailing.
In fact, it started out about as rocky as you can imagine – with a houseful of strong-willed youngsters who were undoubtedly running the show. I felt like a failure more days than not, often worrying that at least one of my children would eventually end up in prison, and it would be my fault (true story).
My husband and I tried numerous different parenting methods in those early years, trying to find something that would give us the positive results we wanted. Instead of progress, however, our kids grew increasingly out of control, leaving us feeling helpless and hopeless.
Then everything changed.
When our oldest child was seven years old, a series of events unfolded that changed the course of our child-rearing and, by extension, our lives.
I heard an idea that turned my perspective on its head, and it was this: “Parenting is not about what happens today or tomorrow. It is about what will happen 20 years down the road.”
As my mind caught hold of that idea, I began to realize that we were not raising children. We were raising adults. And if we wanted to raise capable and confident adults, we needed to change some things about the way we were approaching parenting. Survival was no longer a good option. We needed a plan.
My husband and I had a little meeting. We sat down and discussed what kind of adults we wanted to raise. After a few minutes, we emerged with a long-range vision. We decided that we wanted to raise responsible, respectful, resilient, faithful, independent, confident young adults. And we got to work making that vision a reality.
Figuring out where we wanted to end up gave us the motivation and the courage to up-level our parenting. We stopped flying by the seat of our pants and feeling sorry for ourselves. We addressed discipline problems. We started teaching our kids to do things for themselves and stopped doing everything for them. We set up boundaries and stopped bending when they pushed back because we knew where we were going.
Over time, we saw dramatic results. Once-impossible children grew into responsible, respectful, resilient, faithful, teens and young adults who are now well on their way to confident independence. They are not perfect. We, as their parents, are surely not perfect. But changing our mindset changed the course of our family.
If you want to uplevel your parenting in a hurry, adopt a future-focused mindset. Develop a vision of who you want your child to become, and make a plan to move forward.
I can help you along that path! My goal is to make it easy for you to raise responsible, respectful, faithful, kind young adults. For more information on how I can help, click here.
If you have teens or tweens, you can start by downloading this free guide:
It will help you determine where your child is on their road to independence, and what they still need to learn.
I hope you will stick around and explore. You can check out my latest blog offerings (the three most popular posts are at the top of the page), or listen to a podcast episode or two.
For daily inspiration, follow along on Facebook or Instagram. If Pinterest is your jam, I hang out there, too.
Contact me via email at hello@lynnettesheppard.com
In case you were wondering…
Before my kids were born, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Family Science from Brigham Young University. My education taught me a thing or two about raising children and creating a strong family. Most of my practical knowledge, however, has been gained in the trenches of parenting five very different kids.
And here are a few random facts about me, in case you are interested…
- I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My faith plays a huge role in my life. I cannot imagine attempting this parenting gig without God’s help.
- I hate being cold and love the sunshine. Living in Arizona suits me well.
- I enjoy cooking and eating. A fridge full of fresh ingredients is strangely exciting to me.
- I am a morning person through and through. I am good for nothing after 9:00 pm.
- Being outside is food for my soul. I prefer the beach but, since Arizona is not on the coast, hiking has become one of my favorite pastimes.
- My mind is constantly swimming with half-formed thoughts and ideas. Sometimes, I wish I could turn off the mental chaos, but it is my constant companion.
- I believe in chocolate, forever and ever, amen.
- I am a bit on the silly side, for better or worse.
Thank you for stopping by! I look forward to meeting you!