Rules without Relationship = Rebellion. We’ve said this before on the podcast, but it bears repeating. Whetstone Boys Ranch was founded upon this basic assumption. Rules are necessary, but without a human being to explain, interpret, apply, and at times modify those rules, they become a formula for failure as parents, teachers, and counselors.

Just watch any of the hundreds of dystopian television shows and movies that are currently streaming. They all demonstrate that rules can’t guarantee happiness. They can’t make people be good, and they can’t stop people from doing bad things.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss what we call “Life on Life” ministry (LOL!) as it’s practiced here at Whetstone. It’s not easy for us to have 1 staff member for every 3 boys, but our boys are worth all the extra effort.

Bad parenting is often compared to snowplows and helicopters. There is a very strong temptation to rescue our kids from their mistakes: swooping in to save the day, or plowing a path so smooth that they never have to struggle.

Every parent is guilty of it to some extent. First because the motivation behind these parenting styles seem so noble. And second, because the line between helping and enabling is the grayest of grays. It’s easy to miss because it’s hard to see, and because we don’t want to admit when we’ve crossed it.

It’s also difficult to go back. Difficult, but not impossible. We can learn from our mistakes.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss parenting strategies that avoid these two pitfalls; and if you have fallen into one of these traps, how to get yourself out!

‘Tis the season to be over-working, over-spending, over-eating…and under-sleeping.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is probably the most stressful of the year…with the possible exception of the weeks leading up to April 15th.

What does that say about Christmas if the feelings it evokes rival those of falling victim to legalized theft. Throw in the unintended consequences of materialism and entitlement, and you have the recipe for something that tastes nothing like the holiday it was intended to be.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss strategies for coping with, overcoming, and even, dare I say, eliminating anything that detracts from the real reason for the season:

Celebrating peace on Earth, given to everyone, great and small, through our Lord, and Savior, Jesus Christ

Did you know that the second Friday in January is known as “Quitter’s Day?” Studies have shown that by this day each year, 80% of all New Year’s Resolutions have been abandoned.

I think one reason for this is that we don’t plan for failure. We tend to be overly optimistic about how easy it will be to start exercising or stop spending. Habits are hard to break. That’s why they’re called habits in the first place.

Mike Tyson famously said that “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” What matters is what we do after getting hit.

Join us this week onA Time to Sharpen as we discuss getting punched in the face…and how a good dose of reality sauce will actually make us stronger in the end.

Is there anything better than a good holiday tradition? Well, yeah, lots of things I guess. Two good holiday traditions…three good holiday traditions.

Seriously though, join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss the 2003, Christmas classic, Elf, starring the great Will Ferrell. It’s a tradition for us to watch this one with the boys at the ranch, as well as with our own kids. It’s the perfect combination of good clean fun, romance, and for the purposes of this episode, therapy. Elf a surprisingly insightful glimpse into trauma and attachment.

So come with us “past the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest, through the sea of swirly twirly gum drops, and then…through the Lincoln Tunnel.” And listen all the way to the end. Otherwise, we’ll have to put you on the naughty list.

What’s it like to be the parent of a boy at Whetstone? There is really only one person who can answer that question. You guessed it. It’s the parent of a boy at Whetstone.

This week on A Time to Sharpen we have two such parents: JD and Kelly Buss, the mother and father of Joey Buss, one of our recent 2024 graduates. I feel certain that this podcast will be a huge help to parents looking to place their son in a program, parents living apart from their son who is currently in a program, and parents preparing to have their son return from a program.

But it has also been a huge help to Brandon and me as we continue our quest to sharpen this program.

What’s it like to be the parent of a boy at Whetstone? There is really only one person who can answer that question. You guessed it. It’s the parent of a boy at Whetstone.

This week on A Time to Sharpen we have two such parents: JD and Kelly Buss, the mother and father of Joey Buss, one of our recent 2024 graduates. I feel certain that this podcast will be a huge help to parents looking to place their son in a program, parents living apart from their son who is currently in a program, and parents preparing to have their son return from a program.

But it has also been a huge help to Brandon and me as we continue our quest to sharpen this program.

In The Tech Wise Family, author Andy Crouch describes the difference between devices which do our work for us, and tools which allow us to work for ourselves. One contracts, the other expands. One makes us lazy and apathetic, the other pushes us to grow. One forces us to conform; the other helps us to become better versions of ourselves.

At Whetstone, our work program equips boys with useful skills that transfer into their world back home, allowing them to become servants and leaders. You can’t just push a button to build a birdhouse, mend a fence, or tend a garden. You have to use your hands.

Join us this week on A Time to Sharpen as we discuss the importance of teaching young people how to do more and more in a culture that worships the art of doing less and less.