Classical Christian kids are asked to give a lot of their time and mental energy to school and life in general. Parents can make the mistake of being too sympathetic (“oh, so sorry for your hard day at school…”) and risk making our kids soft, or we can fail to understand the real pressures and risk burning them out. Are they wimpy or worn out? And how can we let them have more ownership in their responsibilities and even require more? Ultimately, our life satisfaction is tied to our children’s ability to know they are valuable, are capable, and have a place to belong in this world. How we direct them with their work and responsibilities can make a real difference in how they answer those questions positively.
Keith McCurdy has worked with families, children, parents, and individuals for over 30 years in the field of mental health, working with more than 15,000 individuals and families. He received his Master of Arts and Education Specialist degrees from James Madison University. He is currently the President and CEO of Total Life Counseling, Inc., and is licensed in the state of Virginia as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.
Keith provides counseling and consulting services as well as a variety of workshops on improving parenting skills, building strong marriages, and maintaining healthy relationships. He has developed and regularly offers parenting retreats entitled “Raising Sturdy Kids” to help parents operate from the correct paradigm with their children and has extended and customized this powerful program for schools and students.
For many years Keith has been a consultant and speaker nationally to businesses, churches, and schools both within and outside of the world of Classical Education.
He previously served as Chairman of the Board at Faith Christian School, a Christian classical school in Roanoke, VA. Keith has been a regular contributor to The Roanoke Star with articles on children, parenting, and marriage. Keith has been featured on the Circe Institute’s podcast “The Commons”, “BaseCamp Live”, and “Crosspolitic” podcasts respectively, discussing topics related to raising sturdy kids. His primary focus is helping others better understand how a Christian worldview, not psychology, should be the primary influence in parenting and relationships today.
A significant part of his work has been helping parents understand the needed benefit of allowing their children to struggle to learn to do hard things. Keith is an avid outdoorsman and has been actively involved with Boy Scouts of America and coaching high school basketball. He and his wife Lynnie have been married for 25 years with two adult children, both classically educated.