Hey! Welcome to my podcast, Can I Laugh on Your Shoulder? (formerly known as Business with Purpose!) I’ll be talking with guests each week and having raw, funny, and often brutally honest conversations about the things that matter most in life.

My first guest is Sandra Stanley, and we are talking all about parenting. But wait! If you don’t have kids, that’s OK. We’re also talking about conflict resolution, and this is the kind of conversation that I guarantee everybody can get something out of.

Sandra is married to Pastor Andy Stanley, and they have three grown children. Sandra is known for her devotional books: "Breathing Room" and "Comparison Trap.” She is also the cofounder of North Point Ministries in Atlanta. She and her husband are releasing a new book, “Parenting: Getting It Right.”

3:22 – Sandra 101

• Sandra and Andy have been married 34 years, and all three of their kids are married.
• Her daughter just had a baby girl, and Sandra is enjoying all the newborn snuggles.
• Sandra and her husband have been foster parents since 2010.

8:34 – Getting it right

• Sandra’s book doesn’t have all the answers for every parenting dilemma. There are no perfect parents. There are no perfect kids.
• Her “it” was having such a good relationship with her kids that they still wanted to be together when they were adults.

14:36 – Mindset shifts

• Sandra and her husband made “honor” an important part of their children’s relationship. They had to apologize sincerely.
• “Honor mom” and “Don’t tell a lie” were the two big rules in their house.

28:56 – Stages of parenting

• There are different stages of parenting. From 0 to 5 years old, it’s focused on discipline. Five to 10 are training years. From 11 to 18 are the coaching years.

42:51 – Takeaways from the book

• Sandra wanted to raise kids who were accountable to God and who sought God’s will for their lives.
• Don’t make your kids have quiet time with the Lord each morning. But model it, encourage it and make it easy.

50:02 – Good things and hard things

• Last thing that made her laugh? Hearing her kids laugh with their cousins
• Last thing that made her cry? Seeing the first picture of her grandchild

FEATURED QUOTES

What other endorsement do you need if your kids endorse your parenting book? – Sandra

We don’t have all the answers for all of your parenting dilemmas. There are no perfect parents. There are no perfect kids. – Sandra

One of the greatest rewards in this season of life is watching our kids choose each other, like each other and want to be friends. – Sandra

We wanted to raise kids who were accountable to God and who sought God’s will for their lives. – Sandra

CONNECT:

• https://www.sandrastanley.com/
• https://andystanley.com/parenting/