Tools of the Trade from These Parenting Pros

ALL TOGETHER

Korie and her mom, Chrys, and their extended families (parents, grown kids, grandkids) all live in the same neighborhood in West Monroe, LA. Both ladies say that intergenerational living has been of tremendous value to them. Having grandparents, aunts, and uncles so close reinforces the values of parents and provides for help of all kinds, including babysitting!

“The kids learn a legacy,” Korie says. For the majority of people who don’t live close to family, she encourages them to find older men and women at church who are eager to share wisdom and love.

Korie and her husband, Willie, have a large family of six grown children, three biological, two adopted, and one unofficially-adopted daughter, who came to live with them as a 16-year-old Taiwanese exchange student and remains a part of the family. They now have five grandchildren as well.  With an obvious heart for adoption, Korie says it’s a calling for Christian families and has been a great blessing in their family, even though it’s not always easy.  

She’s often asked if parents can love an adopted child as much as a biological one, to which she responds without hesitation, “absolutely!” With 443,000 adoptable children in the U.S. foster system, she reminds the church that adoption from foster care is free; for other adoptions, there are many organizations which will help financially.   

ROCKIN’ IT GRAND 

With 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, Chrys loves to encourage other grandparents to have a very active, intentional role in the lives of their grandkids, taking time to teach them Godly values. Hence, the name of her website, “Rockin’ It Grand.”  

One way she keeps communication going with her grandchildren is by using technology. She face-times or texts them an encouraging message, and asks how their day, test, or some challenge went. “And they respond because we teach them phone etiquette!” she adds. Chrys also posts a “Wisdom Wednesday” insight on her Instagram account.  

Another important role of grandparents, she says, is helping grandkids if their parents aren’t together. Chrys speaks from experience, as two of her children have divorced. A five-year-old girl from one of those families asked her at the time, “Are you going to take care of us now?” Chrys assured her that they would, and says that granddaughter is now in college and well-adjusted.  

“There is hope!” Chrys says. “Grandparents can be a stabilizing force when other parts of their lives are unstable. I encourage divorcing parents to change as little as they possibly can for their kids.” When asked what has contributed most to the wellbeing of her grandkids, she says, “Three things: the consistency of the church, our Christian family, and the closeness of grandparents, aunts and uncles.”  

THE DUCK DYNASTY YEARS 

Duck Dynasty aired for five years, from 2012 to 2017, with 130 episodes, and holds the record for the most-watched, scripted show of all time. “They were fun times,” Korie remembers. The episode in which Phil and Kay renewed their marriage vows, having had a tumultuous first ten years of marriage, was the most watched show of all. “It was a great moment,” Korie says.

When asked what it was like to have their whole family on TV, she responds, “We talked with the family about what’s important, and kept our focus on Christ, not who we are, and the kids got that.”

There were certainly challenges, too, like being recognized in public, and after five years, they needed a break. Still, she says, they’d be open to doing another production of some type if the opportunity arose. They started a production company, Tread Lively, to produce more family friendly, hope filled content. Korie also shares that there’s a movie being produced now called “The Blind” about Phil and Kay’s life story.