How do you keep the kids from dividing the parents?

Kids shouldn't be the center of the home. The center of the home should be the marriage covenant, because a solid covenant is the roof under which kids grow up safe. When a child senses they can split mom and dad—one says "no" and the other says "yes"—that child isn't learning to negotiate; they're learning to manipulate, and their emotional security cracks. Block parenting means important decisions get made together and in private, and in front of the kids you present a unified front. It also means marriage doesn't get put on hold until the kids grow up. Date nights, intimacy, and conversation between spouses aren't a luxury; they're the home's oxygen.

This week, schedule a "Parents' Board Meeting" away from home, without the kids. Bring a notebook and answer: (1) Where have we been inconsistent as a team? (discipline, screens, bedtimes, food). (2) What rule are we going to unify starting today, and how will we communicate it to the kids together? (3) When was our last date without the kids? Set a date for the next one. Then pray specifically for each child by name, mentioning their current struggles.

Father of families, anoint our leadership. Take from us competition and undermining. May our kids never see us as two camps, but as one front of love and discipline. Help us not sacrifice our covenant on the altar of the kids, because doing that strips them of their own refuge. Amen.