Welcome to the inaugural episode of Finding Sunshine in the Darkness!
 I started this podcast as a project for a class I was taking called Family 100.   It also is part of  a  Facebook group I have called Finding Sunshine in the Darkness to support a community of humans going through tough stuff and finding hope and healing through it. This chapter is about supporting families across generations. I share my experience with caring for my mom with dementia for the last 12 years. 
Increased years of life expectancy over the past century have been accompanied by longer periods of disability (Pinquart & Sorenen, 2003) Consequently there is an increasing need to care for the frail elderly.  

Welcome to Finding Sunshine in the Darkness. Today we will be talking about Parenting with love, limits, and latitude.  In this chapter we learn that “Despite many similarities among modern-day families, each family has unique circumstances that affect the way parents raise their children. Family members individual talents and personality traits, coupled with intergenerational influences, family structure, living arrangements, and cultural norms and expectations make it impossible to prepare a handbook for parenting that addresses every situation.”(Craig H. Hart, Lloyd et. Newell, and Julie H. Haupt)  

But studies show that warm and responsive parenting promotes lasting bonds between parents and children. (hart et al.,2003)

In the LDS religion we believe that “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness.”(The Family a Proclamation to the World) We are taught to teach our children correct principles and then as they grow older let them govern themselves.

   This is a conversation with Don Zambrana who after a divorce found himself raising 7 children alone. This is his story. 

Welcome to Finding Sunshine in the Darkness. This chapter is called “Honor Thy Father”: Key principles and Practices in Fathering (Sean E. Brotherson) It is important for fathers to be present, provide for, and protect their children.  This is exactly the kind of father that  Don Zambrana is. Today we will be continuing his story  from his son Aarons perspective. We have been discussing the roles of fathers to be present physically, psychologically and practically in their children’s lives. Aaron has some great stories that illustrate how his father influenced his life for good by being just that.

Welcome to episode 2 of Finding Sunshine in the Darkness. In this episode we talk with Lynda Dyas about the fundamentals of a healthy marriage, the importance of an equal partnership, and other cold hard facts. This covers 3 chapters in a text book for my Family 100 class called Successful Marriages and Families: Proclamation Principles and Research Perspectives.  Lynda has been married 39 years and has been my spiritual mentor and second mother. Lynda has a BS degree in Physical Education from Winthorp University and is working on another BS in Professional Studies with an emphasis in Advance Marriage and Family and Basic Accounting. She and her husband Craig own their own business. She was a CASA volunteer for 10 years. She is currently living in a little town called Hartsville in South Carolina which is her home town.