FamilyLife Today® Radio Transcript

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Releasing Your Children

Guests:                      Dennis and Barbara Rainey

From the series:       The Art of Parenting: Mission and Releasing (Day 2 of 2)

Bob: There is a moment that arrives in our parenting journey when things change/things transition; and as parents, we have to let our children go. Here’s Barbara Rainey.

Barbara: In the end, are any of our kids really ready to go, in our opinion?—probably not. There’s always more we could teach / always more that we wish we had said. Yet, at some point, we have to trust that God is bigger than our mistakes. He is able to catch them if they fall, and we need to let them go and let them learn on their own.

Bob: This is FamilyLife Today for Friday, February 22nd. Our host is Dennis Rainey; I’m Bob Lepine. Are you ready, as moms and dads, to release your children?—and have you prepared them to do life on their own? We’ll talk more about that today with Dennis and Barbara Rainey. Stay with us.

1:00

And welcome to FamilyLife Today. Thanks for joining us. So, can we just say it right up front? We’re going to talk about the worst part of parenting today; don’t you think?—releasing?—that’s not the worst part of parenting?

Dennis: Oh, no. [Laughter] Oh, no. I mean, it’s bittersweet—let’s all agree on this—

Bob: Okay.

Dennis: —but there is life after children.

Bob: Okay.

Dennis: Your marriage was built to outlast your kids. I’m going to tell you—it’s a bonus, Bob, when you can have a smile on your face and you can let your arrow fly.

2:00

Bob: Okay.

Dennis: You can weep with them and cry with them; huh?

Bob: You’re right.

Barbara: He’s nodding; he’s nodding.

Bob: I’m rethinking my statement. I’m remembering changing diapers, and releasing was not that bad. [Laughter] I think sleeping through the night and releasing your child—there are some benefits to that.

Dennis: Spoiling the grandkids—it’s wonderful.

Barbara joins us again on FamilyLife Today. Welcome back, sweetheart, while we are still in the saddle, hosting FamilyLife Today.

Barbara: That’s right.

Bob: That’s what we call the victory lap; okay? We’re in that—

Barbara: That’s right.

Bob: —we’re in that.

Barbara: It is the victory lap.

Bob: This is the last time around the track.

Dennis: We get to peel out like Earnhardt does when he wins—[Laughter]

Barbara: Are you going to wave the checkered flag?

Dennis: —burn the tires. I think I’m going to get out in the FamilyLife® parking lot—

Barbara: —and do donuts? [Laughter]

Dennis: —and have them take a video when we’re done here and just do a donut out there. I don’t know if I can do it, though. I don’t know if I’ve got a car that’s got that much power.

Barbara: We don’t have a car that would do that. [Laughter]

Bob: We shared with listeners, earlier this week, that a transition is on the way.

3:00

On March 4th, we will have new hosts stepping in to FamilyLife Today. Dave and Ann Wilson are going to be serving as the new hosts, and you guys will—you’ll be back from time to time, I hope/I trust.

Dennis: We will, and we will—we’re not riding off into the sunset to clip coupons and be retired. I’ve got to tell you—I just—I wish people would stop asking me: “Well, how’s retirement?!”

Bob: Yes.

Barbara: —because we are not retired.

Dennis: We’re not retired. [Laughter]

Bob: You’re as busy as you’ve ever been.

Dennis: We are re-firing,—

Barbara: We are.

Bob: Yes.

Dennis: —and recalibrating, and resetting our goals to make the most of what God’s given us for the next decade. After that decade, the next one after that, if God gives the health, soundness of mind, and strength.

Bob: I know you guys have thought about this and talked about it, but part of the stage of life that you’re in is a stage where you model to the next generation what grace looks like as we get older.

4:00

We’re not disengaged. We still have use for the Kingdom; but life changes, and we have to adjust.

Dennis: Well, just like what we’re going to be talking about, here, on the broadcast today. We believe—in our book, we talked about this—The Art of Parenting—we believe that children were meant to be received, raised, and then released.

I think ministries are not unlike that. You help build them. Barbara and I have been here for over 42 years, and we’ve been building this ministry—helping it be effective in more than 100 countries around the world. It’s time for a younger leader, who is more relevant to the next generation, to take over and lead this to the next generation and to the next growth spurt over the next decade that’s ahead.

Bob: David Robbins has been in that role for a year now.

Dennis: That’s right—doing a great job.

Bob: Then, with Dave and Ann Wilson stepping in to the broadcast, you guys will be—you’ll be free from the daily responsibilities of producing a radio program like this—

5:00

—but not free from a Kingdom calling on your life.

Dennis: That’s exactly right.

Bob: Yes.

Barbara: I just totally agree. In some ways, we’re more excited about the fut...