Intentional Connections: The Power of Shared Growth Between Parents and Children

How Developing Success Habits Can Transform Your Relationship and Set the Next Generation Up for Lifelong Achievement

Introduction: The Silent Shift in Parenting

If you’ve been a parent for any length of time, you know the truth: our kids grow and change faster than we can keep up. One day they’re bouncing off the walls telling us every detail about their day, and the next—they’re older, quieter, and the conversations seem fewer and farther between. The shift often comes without warning, in the quiet moments where we realize things are different.

At the recent Igniting the Next Generation Virtual Summit, Jeff Heggie—entrepreneur, author, and coach—shared a story about noticing this very shift with his son, Jamari. And what he discovered about the power of intentionality in parenting is something we can all take to heart.

Recognizing the Need for Change

Jeff described his family’s rhythm. With most of his kids already grown, Jamari is the last one at home. Their bond was solid—mornings together at the gym at 4am, Jamari pushing himself with dedication and coachability. But Jeff started to notice something: on the car rides home, conversation only happened when he initiated it.

It wasn’t that Jamari was pulling away or rejecting him. He was just quietly content. But that silence struck Jeff as an invitation: Was he making the most of this time with his son? He didn’t want quiet comfort to turn into distance. That moment sparked a new determination—to be more intentional with the time they had left together.

Intentionality: The Key Ingredient

Here’s where so many of us as parents can relate. We often assume that just being around our kids—sharing space, driving them to practices, or eating dinner together—automatically builds connection. But as Jeff reminded us, that’s not always true.

“Your son knowing you love him isn’t enough,” Jeff said. They need to see it, feel it, and experience it through intentional engagement. Shared routines are good, but shared growth—that’s where the real connection happens.

For Jeff and Jamari, the shift came through committing to a new challenge together: the Four Week Win Challenge.

The Four Week Win Challenge: A Blueprint for Growth

The Four Week Win Challenge is a program Jeff designed for athletes and entrepreneurs, but it became a game-changer for his family, too. The challenge focuses on building habits that fuel success—structured mornings and evenings, identifying the MIT (Most Important Tasks), and staying accountable each day.

Jeff and Jamari decided to do it as a team. And that decision transformed their mornings. Instead of silence, they listened to coaching lessons, discussed mindset questions, and held each other accountable. Their workouts weren’t just about strength anymore—they were about growth.

Their daily routine expanded to include journaling, mindset work, supplement rituals, and intentional check-ins. Suddenly, the car rides home weren’t quiet—they were filled with conversation about ambition, focus, and dreams.

The program gave them both personal growth, but more importantly, it gave them a stronger bond built on intentional connection.

Beyond Performance: The Value of Connection

What struck me most about Jeff’s story was this: the true win wasn’t in the new habits—it was in the relationship. “We weren’t just working out together; we were actually growing together,” Jeff said.

That’s the power of intentionality. It’s not about the exact program or routine—it’s about choosing something meaningful to do together, something that creates opportunities for conversations, laughter, and growth.

And Jeff’s reminder is sobering: “The time’s gonna pass one way or another. It’s what you do with that time that matters.”

A Call to Action for Parents

So here’s the challenge for us as parents: what intentional step can we take today? Maybe it’s a shared project, a new routine, a family challenge, or simply asking better questions at the dinner table. The form doesn’t matter as much as the commitment to truly connect.

Jeff offers resources like his free mindset questions and Future Self Masterclass, and of course, the Four Week Win Challenge itself. But even without those, the principle is the same: be proactive, present, and purposeful.

Our kids don’t just need us to be around—they need us to lean in and show up with intention.

Conclusion: Building a Legacy Through Intentionality

At the end of the day, parenting isn’t just about raising kids who succeed—it’s about shaping relationships that last a lifetime. The habits, the conversations, and the challenges we share with them today ripple forward into the future.

So let’s not waste the time we’ve been given. Let’s choose intentional connection. Let’s build traditions and habits that help our children grow—not just into successful adults, but into young men and women who know they were seen, loved, and invested in.

That’s the kind of legacy worth leaving.