At GPT Hebron City‘s Parenting Seminar with Kimunya Mugo, one truth quietly stole the show:
Our children don’t need flawless parents. They need present parents.
Last year we talked about moving from discipline to discipleship. This year, we discovered the bridge between the two, is TRUST.
Parenting isn’t winning every argument. It’s keeping every conversation alive.
Fifty-three parents gathered. Many more joined online.
Together we were reminded that the greatest gift we give our children isn’t perfection, it’s presence.
In July 2025, we gathered as parents to rethink discipline. One year later, we returned to ask an even deeper question:
What makes a child trust a parent enough to keep coming back?
Interestingly, no one came looking for seven secret parenting hacks.
Perhaps we’ve all realized those don’t exist.
Instead, we spent an afternoon talking about conversations, conflict, hugs, meals, apologies, teenagers, social media…
And the strange miracle that children somehow grow up while we’re still trying to figure out parenting ourselves.
Or as our speaker Kimunya Mugo candidly admitted:
“We aren’t perfect. We’ve fumbled along the way, but found our way.”
That confession set the tone for everything that followed.
Walking Together… Literally
Kimunya drew us into Genesis 22. Not through Abraham’s sacrifice, but through something easy to overlook.
“Abraham and Isaac walked together.”
Not rushed.
Not lectured.
Not managed.
They simply walked together.
What kind of relationship allows a teenager to walk beside an ageing father for three days?
That question lingered throughout the afternoon.
We often celebrate Bible heroes for their miracles.
Kimunya reminded us, these perceived bible heroes were also parents navigating ordinary relationships, with extraordinary faith.
Teenagers Are Not Aliens
One line had the room laughing…
“Your teenager is probably an overgrown baby who thinks they have it all figured out.”
Funny.
Painfully accurate.
Yet behind the humour was a profound reminder.
Teenagers still need:
- Affirmation
- Affection
- Touch
- Trust
Just because they’re taller than us, doesn’t mean they’ve stopped needing us.
The Five Ingredients Every Home Needs
Rather than offering techniques, Kimunya offered ingredients.
Like baking, parenting rarely fails because of one dramatic mistake.
Sometimes it’s because one essential ingredient quietly disappeared.
He highlighted five that deserve a permanent place in every home:
- Trust
- Commitment
- Accountability
- Healthy conflict
- A shared destination
Perhaps the most challenging question was:
Can my teenager trust me with everything… even their Instagram conversations?
Not because parents must approve everything.
But because children should know home remains the safest place to tell the truth.
Meals May Be God’s Most Underrated Parenting Tool
Who knew bread, tea and omelettes could become discipleship tools?
Kimunya reminded us that difficult conversations often happen around the dining table.
Not because food solves problems, but because full stomachs soften guarded hearts.
Perhaps parenting doesn’t always require another seminar.
Sometimes it simply requires everyone sitting down before someone disappears behind another screen.
Then Came the Panel…
If the keynote gave us the framework…
…the panel gave us the fingerprints.
Five parents.
Five journeys.
One consistent message:
Presence beats perfection.
And perhaps that’s why the conversation felt less like experts speaking…
…and more like fellow travellers comparing maps.
Grace Wanda: Relationship Before Correction
Grace spends weekdays teaching teenagers and Sundays discipling them.
Her observations were refreshingly practical.
“Stop comparing your child to someone else’s.”
Comparison doesn’t produce confidence.
It produces distance.
When asked why teenagers stop talking, she gently turned the mirror toward parents.
Sometimes…
they aren’t silent.
They simply don’t feel safe.
Her closing thought beautifully summarized the afternoon:
“Teenagers don’t need perfect parents. They need parents who understand them, don’t judge them, and are willing to journey with them.”
Apphia Songolo: Be Present on Purpose
As an engineer, Apphia knows systems.
As a mother, she knows people don’t always behave like systems.
She reminded us that careers never run out of work…
…but childhood eventually runs out of time.
“Be physically and emotionally present.”
Not eventually.
Intentionally.
Her practical advice?
Sometimes say no to another meeting…
…so you can say yes to another memory.
Clarah Muyera: Become a Safe Place
Clarah admitted something many ‘young’ grandparents quietly discover.
She wishes she’d started intentionally building relationships much earlier.
Not merely coexisting…
…but connecting.
Her most memorable challenge asked every parent:
“Are you a safe parent?”
If something terrible happened today…
would your child call you first?
Or someone else?
That question may have stayed with many of us longer than any parenting formula.
Joab Owuor: Fathers Need More Than Provision
Joab dismantled a myth many fathers secretly carry.
Providing financially is important.
But influence is built differently.
His memorable observation:
“Our generation grew up under management by terror. Today’s children ask difficult questions.”
And perhaps that’s not rebellion.
Maybe it’s an invitation to relationship.
His encouragement to fathers was beautifully simple:
“Engage. Talk with your children.”
Kimunya (Again): Presence Costs Something
During the panel, I asked what parenting decision he was most grateful for.
His answer surprised many.
Not schools. Not grades.
Not achievements. Not careers.
Presence.
He spoke about:
- Turning down opportunities
- Choosing family over advancement, and
- Refusing to exchange moments with his children for a larger paycheck.
Then came one sentence that may summarize the entire seminar:
“The biggest reward is giving more presence in life.”
Notice…
Not presents. Presence.
One extra letter changes the spelling.
One missing parent changes a childhood.
And Then Rev. Albert Looked Beyond the Seminar
Before closing, Rev. Albert reminded us that parenting cannot be mastered in one Saturday afternoon.
Children keep changing.
So parents must keep growing.
He proposed launching a Parenting Cohort.
Parents can journey together through Anzaya Akatsa’s book, Parenting on Purpose.
Sharpening one another over time. Rather than relying on one-off events.
We left encouraged.
Not because we had “arrived,” but because we’d found companions for the journey.
So… What Did We Learn?
Perhaps parenting is less about having every answer…
…and more about remaining available for every question.
Perhaps children remember fewer lectures than we imagine…
…and far more dinners than we realize.
Perhaps trust isn’t built through grand gestures…
…but through hundreds of ordinary walks together.
Just like Abraham… and Isaac.
Keep the Conversation Going
The seminar may be over, but the conversation doesn’t have to be.
Check out the Speaker’s notes and Panel discussion notes.
This is for every parent who would like to revisit the insights or continue the conversations at home.
Because the goal isn’t simply to attend a seminar, it’s to build a culture of intentional parenting, one conversation at a time.
If you enjoyed this reflection, you may also enjoy last year’s blog, featuring the same speaker:
➡️ “From Discipline to Discipleship: A Parenting Seminar to Remember” (July 2025)
It’s fascinating to see how this year’s conversation naturally built on last year’s theme.
If 2025 challenged us to disciple our children, then 2026 reminded us that discipleship travels best on the road called TRUST.
The journey continues.
And thankfully… so does grace.
💬 Comment Prompt
What is one parenting conversation or one parenting habit you’ll intentionally begin this week?
We’d love to hear your reflections below.
#ParentingSeminar #ChristianParenting #Trust #PresenceOverPerfection #ChildrensChurch #FaithAtHome #GPTHebronCity #GrowthCommunities #ParentingOnPurpose #ChristRevealedChristExpressed
Joseph Ngaara is inspired by people’s stories, especially those shaped by faith, resilience, and grace. If you’ve walked through triumph, tragedy, or something beautifully in between and feel ready to share, my inbox is open. 📩 j.mungai@hotmail.co.uk
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