Supernanny Parenting Discussion Group – Week 3 (Teamwork)
Week 3 – Teamwork 
Icebreaker Question: Tell the group about a time when you had to work with a team to get something accomplished (it could be on the sports field, at work, in school, etc.).
I’ve had the pleasure of being on many great teams. At work, I have to work with other colleagues to get projects successfully completed. At home, I have to work together with my wife to lead our family and to make sure our home functions effectively. At church, I have to work together with other small group coaches to keep our small group ministry rolling in the correct direction. When I think of my favorite team experiences, I think about a mission trip that I went on when I was in high school. Our group of teenagers worked together to build two stone walls for a Habitat for Humanity house in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Everyone had to work together to accomplish this project. Some of us dug the foundation for the walls, some of us picked stones from the quarry, some of us placed the stones into the wall, some of us carried water to the other workers, some of us backfilled dirt into the wall. It took all of us to build these walls.
It’s an incredible experience to be part of a team that’s working together. On the other hand, it can be pure torture to be a part of a team that doesn’t click.
teamwork – the cooperative effort of a team of people for a common end
As defined at: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/teamwork
The Supernanny DVD clips this week and in the previous weeks have shown good and bad teamwork. Just like a championship sports team, teamwork is essential to a successful family. The first step in successful parenting is getting on the same page. Being part of a group like this is a step in the right direction. It’s also important to remember that there is no “I” in team. It takes everyone in the family.
Get comfortable, put on your team spirit, and get ready to team up for a great discussion.
Note to leader: Show the following clips from the Supernanny Season 1 DVD: The Gorbea Family Episode DVD Disc 2: 0:57-3:53, 7:00-8:53, 13:58-16:21, 19:24-21:10, 24:22-26:18, and 35:15-39:42. You may choose to show all the clips at once or you may decide to stop the DVD after each clip and discuss the answer to question one or pull out key points as you go.
1. What observations can you make from the DVD clips that relate to teamwork?
2. What does teamwork look like at your house? In your marriage? In your family?
3. What things do you do or can you do to work as a team?
4. Read the following verses from the Bible. What do they say about teamwork and how can we apply them in our families?
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
I Corinthians 12:12-26
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
5. List one or two things that you will do differently or that you will try as a result of our discussion on respect.
Take Home Activity: Activity: Carry On
Point: We must learn how much responsibility we can handle.
Supplies: You’ll need building blocks, a watch with second-hand, paper, and pencil.
Activity: Have your family work together to create an obstacle course in your home. Your course might consist of crawling under a table, walking around a chair, and jumping over several toys. Let the children determine how simple or elaborate this will be.
When the course has been completed, have each family member make a “practice run” through the course. Time each person and record this time. Remember to go through the course yourself as well!
Share: In this game, we’re all going to be racing against our own time. Don’t worry if your time is slower than another family member. As we go through the course again, see if you can match or beat your own time. But this time let’s make it a bit more challenging.
Age Adjustments: FOR OLDER CHILDREN, continue the discussion by having everyone list their regular responsibilities. Family members may be surprised as they realize what others actually accomplish each day. Take time to thank each other for the responsibilities carried each day that help others in the family. For example, children may thank Mom for all the driving she does for them, or a parent might thank a child for the regular dish-washing he does so everyone can eat on clean plates, and so on.
Activity continued: Give each person two of the building blocks. Explain that these must be carried while going through the course. Have everyone go through the course again, making note of each person’s time. Then add to the challenge by giving everyone two more blocks. Go through the course again and again, each time adding two more blocks to each person’s load. Don’t suggest this to children, but if they figure out creative ways to carry the blocks such as tucking them into belts or stowing them in pockets, that’s okay.
Continue with this as long as family members are having fun, or until you run out of blocks! Then put the blocks away and gather together again for discussion. Look over your time record and see which runs through had the best times.
Question:
– How did carrying the blocks affect your ability to go through the obstacle course? (Usually, the more blocks, the harder to handle the course.)
– What was the best way to get yourself and the blocks through the course? (Let all share.)
– When did you start to feel like you couldn’t handle any more blocks?
Share: Now let’s discuss what this game has to do with our lives. Imagine your day as an obstacle course. Every time you add a responsibility to your day, it’s like adding a block.
Discuss:
– What responsibilities do you have each day? (Let family members list things like jobs, chores, studies, caring for pets, etc.)
– How are they like blocks as you go through the day? (They can become a lot to handle.)
– When do you feel like you’re carrying too many blocks?
– Do you think you should be trying to carry more blocks of responsibility through each day, or less? Explain.
– How do we learn to be responsible? (We take on new responsibilities and explore how to handle them as we grow.)
– How do we get someone to trust enough to show we can be responsible? (We need to prove ourselves faithful in small tasks before we can take on larger ones.)
Taken from Heritage Builders / An Introduction to Family Nights by Kurt Brunner and Jim Weidmann. 1997. pgs. 71-72.
Next week’s topic: Establishing Appropriate Boundaries
Looking Ahead: Week 5 – Handling Sibling Differences, Week 6 – Purpose for Discipline, Week 7 – Methods of Discipline, Week 8 – Introducing Your Kids to Christ