Tales Of A Houseparent Blog

Last week Michelle wrote about what a house parent is - and is not. We both agree that an important piece of understanding that is having a better sense of the population we work with. Michelle mentioned that we are not: Camp counselors - this isn’t a summer camp. ...

  • So, you’ve learned a little bit about what Joy Ranch is and is not. Bethany has shared some killer tips and tricks of the “trade” we use around here. I’ve taken you on a tour of Leebrick cottage. Now I suppose you’d like to know what exactly is a “house...

Anyone who works with children will tell you that it often becomes easy to spend too much time focusing on the negative; it can be hard to remember the positives – or have time to celebrate them. It has been stated, by researchers with the Harvard Business Review that...

With Easter just wrapping up I think it is important to take some time to talk about holidays. (For this blog we’ll focus on just those that come in the Spring.) They can be hard for so many different reasons. When you are raising a house full of other people’s...

Hello, again! If you were to stop by our campus, you would be greeted with friendly faces and people who are glad you stopped by. They would be happy to answer your questions and tell you what this place called Joy Ranch is all about. And then you'd be invited on a...

Teaching our kids about God, including how to pray, is a big part of what we do. One of the tools we use for this goes by all kinds of different names; and each resident likes to call it something different: "popcorn prayer", "fill-in-the-blank prayer", "mad-lib...

Bethany and I both have been so excited about getting this blog up and running. It has been a few years in the making! We are passionate about what we do and are eager for others to know more about it. We hope this blog provides a chance for people to get to know the...

One struggle faced by our residents is the simple passage of time and what that does to a relationship that is primarily long-distance. Even with family. As time passes and the children come to be with us for an extended period of time phone calls home can become...

Have you ever wondered what life as a Houseparent is like? House parenting is a unique role like no other, filled with joys, sorrows, and everything in between. One question that every houseparent is asked frequently tends to be: "So, what do you do as a houseparent?"...