I’m a big fan of affirming oneself; I believe that when we stand in our own truth, we unmask our inner greatness, our inner strength and our hidden gifts and potential. Recently, while reviewing the Be Strong Families Living the Protective Factors Affirmation Deck, I came across an affirmation card that spoke to me; it said, “Stay Open and Curious — When fear threatens, I concentrate on seeing more options and waiting for more possibilities to emerge.” It really made me reflect on the past few years, what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed.

To the slave master, the auction block was a public space for selling slaves. For the slave and their family, it was a source of fear, shame, and humiliation. There are some public places in America where slave auction blocks remain intact- a daunting reminder of an ugly past. Today, Aug. 20, we honor the memories of our African ancestors that endured the horrors of slavery, a shameful American atrocity that lasted 400 years.

Feelings like frustration, resentment, and disappointment—and yes, even hatred—toward your emerging adult is to be expected and a natural occurrence during parenthood. Unfortunately, this is an issue that is under-addressed in parenting advice or discussions and precisely why parents are reluctant to express such negative feelings out loud.

So, what can you do about these feelings?

Be Strong Families has been hosting Parent Cafés and teaching others how to host them since we began in 2012. Our original Parent Café deck of questions was bilingual, in Spanish and English. As we've evolved, we've worked with communities to translate Be Strong Families Parent Cafés into other languages and to develop Parent Café decks specific to cultural needs.

As a privileged white woman in a position of power and authority, committed to diversity, inclusion and radical co-creation, CEO Co-founder and CEO, Kathyn, was trying to sit this one out. “Let actions speak louder than words,” she thought. But watching the "parent engagement through a lens of equity" conversation cycle through the field for 30 years without moving the needle? Her response breaks down what economic, political, and social equity actually look like in practice — and why BSF stopped treating them as aspirational and started treating them as operational.

Three generations, two new babies, and a decade of camping trips Up North. Around a campfire with her daughters-in-law, Robyn Harvey realized the Parent Café agreements had quietly become part of how she shows up for her family. No formal Café required.

What happens when human services systems put policy before people? Kathryn Leigh Goetz makes the case for flipping the script on intake processes and putting relationship first — with a practical model from a Pasadena coalition that gets it right.

Summer is fertile ground for growth, and not just in the garden. A practical and warm walk through all six Journey to Vitality domains with ideas the whole family can try together — from family affirmation boards to date nights with your kids to just stepping outside and looking up.

When her son walked across the stage at his college graduation, Dena Chapman exhaled — for him and for every Black and Brown young man who never got the chance. Dena’s reflection on "the talk," A More Perfect Union, and what it means to parent in a divided America is a powerful case for transformative conversation.