Bringing Fun Home with Chris Carneal, Ep #10

Bringing Fun Home with Chris Carneal, Ep #10

How can you infuse joy in your home? How can you make every day with your children more fun, even through the mundaneness of everyday life? The world is stressed out. Anxiety and depression are at an all-time high. And when moms and dads are anxious and depressed, kids feel it in their homes. That’s why dads have to be intentional with the time they spend with their children. Chris Carneal—the founder and CEO of Booster—shares how he and his wife create fun lasting memories with their children in this episode of Dads on Tap. 

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in...

  • Chris shares what his dad was like [2:08]
  • Learn more about Chris’s wife and family [4:55] 
  • What Chris is seeing in student’s lives [8:28]
  • How to build Kairos moments with your kids [14:47]
  • Practical ways to devote time to your kids [21:38]
  • The importance of focused one-on-one time [25:36]
  • How Chris handles the use of technology [28:31]
  • Chris’s go-to brew of beer [32:06] 
  • What can you do to create Kairos moments? [33:01] 

What Chris learned from his relationship with his dad

Chris’s parents got divorced and both were remarried. Chris saw his dad nearly daily during the sports and weekend side of his life. He coached every team Chris ever played on. They bonded over baseball. 

Their relationship was based on events and experiences, almost too much so. Chris’s mom did a lot of the heavy lifting of parenting. But Chris is grateful that his dad stuck around, which can be rare with divorced parents. 

When Chris got married and had kids, he realized he was trying to create Saturday mornings with his dad every day. While life doesn’t have to be—and can’t be—fun all the time, creating moments with your kids is inherently important.

How to build “Kairos” moments with your kids

When their oldest was three years old, Chris and Lyndie created an Excel spreadsheet for the next 15 years (until they’d be empty nesters). They wanted to create moments 

Chris doesn’t believe that all time in life is equal. The Greek word “chronos” refers to the ticking of a clock. But the Greek word “Kairos” refers to the moments that matter. When you create a timeline of your life, you’ll focus on the important moments. Chris and Lyndie wanted their summer vacations to be Kairos moments. 

So they asked: If no time constraints or dollar amounts were attached, where would they go and what would they do? Could they go there? How could they make it happen? 

So they planned trips, alternating doing something internationally and domestically every other year. They might do a trip to Italy one year and a trip to a dude ranch in Montana the next year. 

Their last Christmas gift to their kids every year is a scavenger hunt. Once they complete it, their trip for the next year is revealed. They’ll read books about the destination, talk about the foods they might eat, watch videos and movies about it, etc. They’d allow their kids to help shape what they’d do on the trip based on what was important to each of them.

Those trips were full of lifelong memories that they continue to talk about. It’s a luxury to do trips like this but it unites them as a family. The conversations and memories will last a lifetime. 

The trips don’t have to be costly. The first trip they did—when they didn’t have a ton of money—was the “Great American Summer.” They spent time determining everything they could do in Georgia. They curated a list and spent time checking things off.

Practical ways to devote time to your kids

Chris takes advantage of the time it takes to drive his kids to school. He’ll ask them questions, ask how he can pray for them, and then actually pray for them. It’s a moment that could easily be wasted that you can capture. They also prioritize family dinners as much as they possibly can. They block out time on the calendar and strive for two family dinners per week to sit around the table and connect.

The importance of focused one-on-one time

Chris is careful to make sure he dedicates one-on-one time to each of his kids. That’s when you’ll build the best memories with your kids. Is there a weekend you can put on the calendar and plan out with your kids? Intentionality is key. 

Question(s) for discussion: What’s the most fun family event you’ve ever done? What’s your best memory as a parent? What’s one thing you can do to create kairos moments with your kid(s)? Explore the world with your children. The goal is the relationship that’s formed when making memories together. 

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Chris Carneal

Connect With Scott and Dads on Tap

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Audio Production and Show Notes by - PODCAST FAST TRACK

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