Eyres On The Road

Richard and Linda Eyre discuss the importance of exposing children to "the finer things in life." They talk about the positive benefits of exposing your children to a wide variety of fine arts experiences and share some personal stories and insight from their own parenting adventures.

Richard Eyre starts off with an aside about the importance of letting children set goals themselves and working more as a supporter and less as a manager to help them achieve those goals.  Then, Linda Eyre reports on her recent MFME (Mothers and Future Mothers of Eyrealm) "meeting" and the Eyres talk about the feasibility of getting the family together for regular and enjoyable gatherings no matter what your family situation. Whether it be a big gathering with all the relatives, or just an evening outing as father/son or mother/daughter, it's important to stay in contact and to continue to connect with family.

Richard Eyre talks about the disturbing trend in America for people to opt out of or delay marriage in favor of cohabitation. He also talks about declining birthrates around the world, and how fears, pressures, and lack of commitment in society are making it more and more difficult to protect the institution of the family.  Be sure to check out the Eyres' page at familyshare.com for an article addressing this issue.

Richard and Linda talk about the importance of helping children -- even young children -- make goals, decisions and commitments far in advance. Before the peer pressure, before the decision to act comes, help children think through their dreams, goals and the possible outcomes of certain actions.  Speaking about intimacy in particular, the Eyres offer some suggestions and statistics regarding how and when to broach this sensitive subject with your children.  See the Eyres talk about the issue here.

The Eyres continue their discussion on the difficulties of maintaining a harmonious marriage relationship. Everyone resolves issues in different ways, but the Eyres stress that the most important thing is for both parties to communicate and compromise. Richard also highlights the importance of being open in your communication and not hiding or bottling up feelings.  Richard and Linda also invite their daughter, Shawni, on to the show to talk about communication in her own marriage relationship.  Here are some of the Eyres "Marriage Recipes."

The Eyres recap their "parenting" cruise in the Caribbean, highlighting some of the things they discovered and discussed on their trip. For example, how do you measure your marriage? Are you successful if you never disagree or argue?  It's not about whether or not you ever disagree; it's about how you resolve the conflicts when you do disagree and your level of commitment.  More from the Eyres addressing this episode's topic:  "5 Great Reasons to Get Divorced" "5 Great Reasons to Get Divorced -- Article"  "How do you Measure your Marriage?" "The Strangest Piece of Marital Advice that will Save your Relationship"

Richard and Linda Eyre talk about the importance of setting and adjusting goals for yourself and your family. They suggest taking some time -- right now -- to really think about how to improve and strengthen relationships with spouses, children, and extended family during the year of 2015. There will be difficulties and uncertainties, but it's important to picture where you want your and your family to be and then set goals to work towards your ideals.  Don't underestimate how much can change in one year!

Did you know that "lose weight" is the #1 most common New Year's Resolution?  Richard and Linda Eyre discuss the importance of healthy bodies to help us maintain healthy relationships. Because good health affects our energy and ability to maintain good relationships, being healthy and staying fit is so much more than just body image. The Eyres share five simple "habits" guaranteed to help your family become more healthy and feeling better.

How well do we know Jesus Christ? What are we doing to learn more about His life and His teachings?  Richard and Linda Eyre discuss the importance of making sure that Christ and His teachings are at the center of every home and family. Studies show that families with a main focus on their church or their family relationships are less stable than families that are centered on Christ.  The Eyres discuss a program they have developed to help families remember Jesus Christ each week: What Manner of Man. Each week has a short thought that can be shared with family and friends that highlights a particular aspect of Christ's life, attributes, and teachings. And there's no better time to start thinking about Christ than Christmas!

Richard and Linda Eyre are on their way to Take Back Christmas: A Children for Children Christmas Concert. They discuss ways that we can cut through all the chaos and commercialism of the holidays and focus on the true spirit of Christmas during the holiday season.

Richard and Linda Eyres have rolled out a new series on YouTube for listeners! By following the link at the right-hand column of this webpage, you can view -- at your leisure -- short videos of the Eyres discussing little "recipes" for building relationships and improving parenting.  They also address their first "recipe" on how to balance the "reality" of both Santa and Jesus at Christmas time. They offer ideas for how to keep the true Spirit of Christmas in the midst of all the commercialism during the Holiday Season.

How long do you want to live? And what are you doing about that?  Richard and Linda Eyre discuss the reasons for wanting to live a long and fulfilling life and offer ways to achieve your goals while staying healthy and happy to the end. It's not only about setting goals, but also about having the right mindset and a positive attitude about life. They talk about trends for Baby Boomers and their health as well as ways that people can make the most of every moment no matter what stage in life they are in. They also dispel several myths about old age and aging.

While Thursday is Thanksgiving, Richard and Linda Eyre stress the importance of expressing gratitude 365 days a year instead of just a single day in November. They extoll the virtues of being grateful and aware of all the blessings and opportunities we have in our lives each day. The Eyres specifically address ways that we can instill in our children and grandchildren "an attitude of gratitude" and an ability to be thankful.  The Eyres also issue a challenge: KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL! Go out and buy a notebook and, starting with Thanksgiving, make sure that you and your family get together and write down something that you are thankful for in your lives. Just imagine how full that notebook will be by next year's Thanksgiving! Richard and Linda also offer fun monthly topics that can help you and your family expand your realm or scope of gratitude. Read Richard and Linda's 2014 Thanksgiving Letter

Richard and Linda Eyre talk about the importance of traditions and bringing the family together. They offer some ideas besides the thanksgiving feast and football marathons for traditions that can bring the family together and create lasting memories.  For some ideas for traditions, check out some Eyres blogs:  Dripping with Passion and 71 Toes

Richard and Linda Eyre talk a little bit about the over-commercialization of the holiday season and how society seems to be glossing over Thanksgiving, "going immediately from pumpkins and witches to Santa Claus and Christmas Trees." We have so much to be grateful for and Thanksgiving season is a wonderful time to get together with family and focus on all the blessings we have in our lives.  The Eyres have just released a book called "The Thankful Heart" which focuses on the importance of giving thanks in all things. The book includes suggestions for how anyone can increase their ability to give thanks throughout the year -- and not just during the end of November. Gratitude is a skill that we can develop (right now!) to help us become happier in life. Read an excerpt from their book "The Thankful Heart"

Richard and Linda Eyre are in Napa, California this week! Richard's birthday is tomorrow (turning "46" on October 28th) and they talk about some of the birthday festivities with the family. They discuss some of the important family traditions that the Eyres have developed and continued over the years. After that Richard and Linda move on to debate the "worth of Halloween" and offer ideas for making Halloween a more creative, enjoyable, and memorable holiday for everyone involved.

Richard and Linda talk about how to enjoy both the trials and triumphs of life once the nest has become empty. They discuss the "pact" that they had created between themselves and the children to establish boundaries for parenting advice and interactions with the grandchildren.   Richard and Linda also talk about the importance of not "giving up" parenting just because their children have left the home. Continuous (not constant) communication is key! The Eyres have certainly been living their life in full lately with another wedding in the family! Enjoy these photos of the Eyre's family (their children and children's spouses -- including the happy bride and groom -- and 20 of their 26 grandchildren)!

Richard and Linda Eyre are joined at first by some special guests: two of their granddaughters who share their thoughts about and experiences at the wedding reception. The Eyres talk about the joy of being with family during the wedding reception of their daughter, Charity. They also discuss the new book that they are working on regarding life and parenting. There is so much about our lives to make them feel "full." We have so many little experiences, both positive and negative, that make up our lives. It's important to focus on the moments of joy and not stress out about the temporary crises or setbacks.

Check out Dripping with Passion, a blog written by the Richard and Linda Eyre's daughter, Charity, who will soon be married.

Richard and Linda Eyre look back on their lives and talk about differences and similarities that they notice throughout the many stages and transitions of their family. Whether it be trying to contain a rambunctious toddler, shuffling children to and from extracurricular activities, or trusting a teenager still learning to drive, the Eyres talk about the importance of finding joy in the "serendipity" of the present and warn against living in the past or looking forward longingly to the future. Live "opportunity to opportunity," not "crisis to crisis."