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2004 Excellence in Parenting Award Honorees - 
James and Shaharriett Houchins - Alaska

James & Shaharriet Houchins echo the heart of every parent when they say, “We want to teach our children so that they know what family values are.”  They also practice their values.  With nine children, they stay active in their church, help lead Marriage Encounter workshops, and serve on committees including the Headstart Parent Committee.  They believe the family needs to do things together, that parents need to show consistency to their children, and that no matter what the circumstances, keep faith in yourself as parents to your children.

They know.  The both came from divorced families but decided from the beginning that divorce would not be an option for them.  They talked about it as a common basis from which they began their marriage.  As for practicing that ethic, they recount staying up late to talk their moments of anger out.  “We don’t go to bed angry, even though we may end up staying up until two,” says James.  “No matter what goes on, at the end of the day we always know how to say, ‘I’m sorry.’” They believe children will remember – more than a fancy home – the little things parents do for them, like a story told at bedside.  Shaharriet says, “We’re not perfect and we make mistakes, but we are striving to make our children overcome our mistakes, so that they don’t make the same ones.”  James says to his daughter, “You can learn from us, equally from what we do right as well as from what we do wrong.”  Society might learn from them, too, for such parents remind us of what keeps our society healthy.

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