In this episode, we are honored to speak with Laura Evans. A successful professional, Evans has served as the Senior Exec of several billion-dollar companies.
In the midst of that success, her family came face to face with sexual abuse when her child nearly died by suicide.
How could this happen? The circumstances might surprise you.
One in 10 children are abused before age 18, 60% never tell when it’s happening. Twenty percent of victims are under age 8.
Love PLUS Money is dedicated to supporting healthy families, physically, mentally and emotionally.
We hope that by bringing this tough issue to the surface, it equips you with more tools to support and protect your kids.
Tune in to learn:
- How to create an environment at home that facilitates open conversation (and some tips for the busy career parent.
- Words to use and NOT use when asking vulnerable questions.
- Why we cannot push aside this topic because we “live in a nice neighborhood,” “know the parents,” or because we “don’t do sleepovers.
Visit D2L.org to learn how to comfortably start (or continue) these age-appropriate conversations. Also, to learn the tactics of how offenders manipulate, how to report abuse, consequences of abuse, and statistics about the issue.
https://www.d2l.org/education/5-steps/
https://www.d2l.org/7-myths-about-child-sexual-abuse/
In this episode, we are honored to speak with Laura Evans. A successful professional, Evans has served as the Senior Exec of several billion-dollar companies.
In the midst of that success, her family came face to face with sexual abuse when her child nearly died by suicide.
How could this happen? The circumstances might surprise you.
One in 10 children are abused before age 18, 60% never tell when it’s happening. Twenty percent of victims are under age 8.
Love PLUS Money is dedicated to supporting healthy families, physically, mentally and emotionally.
We hope that by bringing this tough issue to the surface, it equips you with more tools to support and protect your kids.
Tune in to learn:
- How to create an environment at home that facilitates open conversation (and some tips for the busy career parent.
- Words to use and NOT use when asking vulnerable questions.
- Why we cannot push aside this topic because we “live in a nice neighborhood,” “know the parents,” or because we “don’t do sleepovers.
Visit D2L.org to learn how to comfortably start (or continue) these age-appropriate conversations. Also, to learn the tactics of how offenders manipulate, how to report abuse, consequences of abuse, and statistics about the issue.
https://www.d2l.org/education/5-steps/
https://www.d2l.org/7-myths-about-child-sexual-abuse/
Janelle Devlin:
Hey, everybody. In a world that says you have to choose between being successful or having successful relationships, we are that space in between your awesome family life and your awesome work life. So welcome to Devlin Worldwide, with our podcast, Love Plus Money. Let's get going.
Laura Evans:
To think about, to talk about, but that's where it thrives. It thrives in darkness and in being surrounded with the hidden and the things that we're not comfortable. And while we, the ones that want to protect our children, are silent, abusers and manipulators and predators are running rampant in our society, in our neighborhoods and around our children, because they know we're too full of uncomfortableness to address it.
Janelle Devlin:
We are so honored today to talk with, not only a dear friend, but someone who really has had a personal experience, and from that experience, has been able to reach so many with the message. And that message is protecting our children, protecting our children on the road to success, as we're in the grind and this hustle culture, having an awareness of what we need to know to protect our children. And, we just want to say that this pertains to everybody, kids, no kids, adult aged kids, babies. You're just in those early years of just trying to get good sleep, but to have awareness wherever you are right now is going to be able to help us to put an end to what we're talking about today, or to see some massive change. And we are seeing some change. We're seeing more awareness.
Andrew Devlin:
And this might not be a comfortable message, but it's a vital message, that you need to listen to the whole thing. So, I'm going to encourage you. You're going to be equipped today to get more resources, make a difference to kids' lives and your life. This is a message that I think most people are aware of, but a lot of people are not acknowledging, and we're honored to have you here today. You've gone through some trauma as a family, but you've also been able to have great success from the corporate side and the personal business side. So, do you want to?
Janelle Devlin:
Yeah. So, Laura has been a senior executive for even some billion dollar companies. We met her about 15 years ago, early on in our marriage. We've seen her character along the way. And now that we know a little more of her story, there's even more love and respect for Laura Evans. So, Laura, thanks so much for joining us today and talking about this hard but necessary conversation.
Laura Evans:
Oh, well, thank you for giving me a place to share this message. I've learned so much, and I want to help educate adults. Maybe there's something in what we share and talk about that will make a difference for families and for children.
Janelle Devlin:
So we've heard, and you've shared this with me, that they say one in 10 children are abused before the age of 18, and 60% of those never tell during that time, and 20% of those abuse, that's happening to them before age eight, which was so hard to hear.
Laura Evans:
Yes.
Janelle Devlin:
And then when we did our trauma informed parenting through our foster care program, we heard some alarming stats, and you go, "Really? That's what's happening?" But, that's the stat. Tell us a little bit more about that, and then, to whatever extent you feel comfortable chatting about, your family's experience.
Laura Evans:
Yeah. So we are one of those statistics. I'm a mom, and, like you shared, I'm an executive. Career has been very important for me, and I've been blessed with a very successful career and a very successful business, as an entrepreneur now. I have four children, and managing and balancing career and children and travel and all the things is challenging for any of us. It's not impossible, and you set a wonderful example for your children, with your work ethic and what you choose to do for business as well. So, I do not regret my decisions and what I've done as far as a career is concerned. And it's provided for them in so many ways, even in the way that we were able to recover from this.
Laura Evans:
So, just a overview of our story. Our youngest daughter, she was sexually abused by her best friend's dad, who was our neighbor. They lived in our neighborhood, and not only did he abuse her and many of the other children, but he also trafficked his stepdaughter, my daughter's best friend, and my daughter. So this is in a nice neighborhood. America. This is not something that's overseas, although it does happen there, and this is not something that's happening to somebody else. This is not limited to a socioeconomic status. These statistics that you shared are happening across all borders, all socioeconomic statuses, all races, all genders. It happens everywhere. We, obviously, we were not aware. How we became aware was our daughter attempted suicide as a teenager. And that's when she had her outcry, and we found out what had happened. And our focus was her healing, her choice to live, what we could do to help her heal mentally and physically from the trauma that she had experienced.
Laura Evans:
She chose to press charges against her abusers, to protect the other young children that were still at home, living with them, because she just did not want to see what happened to her happen to them. That was quite a road to journey for justice, to help everyone know she is doing really, really well. We did get justice, and these men will not ever hurt anybody else again. The average abuser, by the way, abuses about 125 children in their lifetime. She's a hero, and she was bold and courageous, and I'm just so proud of her. And she's doing really, really great. She's a junior in college right now as a plant biologist.
Andrew Devlin:
We have a daughter that would like to be maybe a plant biologist as well.
Janelle Devlin:
Yes. Anything plants is totally her thing. Oh, that's great to hear. So, when you look back, I mean... I'm so happy to hear that there's been this road to justice, and I mean, you look back, what is the awareness? And this was, now, roughly, how many years ago?
Laura Evans:
Her grooming started when she was eight years old. And that's a really important segment of understanding child sexual abuse is, grooming is where the predator who, like I talked about, these are people that you know and you go to school with, you go to church with, you are neighbors with, but they fit in so well, and they're such masters of fitting in, but there's this darkness happening. But the grooming started at age eight, and grooming is really where a predator begins to just gradually expose a child to inappropriate content and inappropriate things, to tell how far they can push the boundaries, before a child might tell or say something. Once the grooming is established, and the relationship is established between the predator and the child, then the abuse begins.
Laura Evans:
And then, the abuse turns into blaming. It was the child's fault, and the predator manipulates a child to think that it was their fault, therefore, that locks them in to not tell, because they don't want to get in trouble for what now has become their fault. And then when that doesn't work, the threats happen of, "I'm going to do harm to your family. I'm going to hurt your animals. I'm going to hurt whatever," that it matters to the child. And that's kind of the cycle of what that abuse looks like. But yes, hers started when she was eight. We completed the trial three years ago, I believe it was. Yeah, three years ago we finished the trials for justice.
Andrew Devlin:
So it's not a quick process even there.
Laura Evans:
No.
Andrew Devlin:
I can comprehend it's like, "Oh, I touched you here. What did you do? I touched you back. You were okay." Is it even subtler things that, as parents, we could be aware of?
Laura Evans:
Yes. And I do want to say, and we're going to put this in the show notes for everyone too, there's a wonderful resource, a nonprofit organization, that provides resources for free and training for free, tools that you can look at. And one of them is that. What are the signs to look for in grooming? What is healthy touch, and how do you talk to your children about it? What's a checklist for safe sleep overs? How do you talk to your teenager about consent, and what does consent really mean and look like? Just a ton of things like that. How do you report suspected abuse in your area or in your region? That organization is called Darkness to Light. Darkness to Light, and it's been around 20 years, the sole purpose is educating against child sexual abuse. And, the website is d2l.org, and that is a number two, d2l.org.
Laura Evans:
So yeah, some of the signs to look for, it's so subtle, because they're so smart. They're so sharp. They know that if they did anything that was overt or really odd, then it would stand out. So things are just really subtle. Maybe giving some gifts, maybe trying to isolate. In our situation, being the most popular dad in the neighborhood, the one that had all the games at the house, the one that was all the fun, the one that had the best snacks and treats. Anyone that's an adult that's positioning themselves to have a better relationship with your child than you do is a warning sign. I mean, because what they're trying to do is isolate and distance your child from you, physically and emotionally, so that they can become the person that your child trusts, so that they can take the abuse to the next level.
Janelle Devlin:
Mm. I think we may have, we'll never know, but I think just this last month, we've had awareness about that. I can totally see. I can totally see that.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah. Because it's like, we've been looking at narcissism and sociopaths and psychopaths and-
Janelle Devlin:
Right.
Andrew Devlin:
Look at the different definitions, but it's amazing. There can be zero remorse.
Janelle Devlin:
From that person.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Laura Evans:
Yeah. And, I will say that abuse begets abuse. So, it's very often that, and if you think about that statistic we talked about earlier, 20% are abused by age eight, before age eight, it's very often, and 60%'s not reported, that someone that's been abused doesn't have the correct coping skills to handle the abuse and becomes an issue for society in general, in terms of drug addiction, alcoholism, crime, all those things. But also, they tend to abuse, because it's like a behavior repeating itself. So, it's very common that those who are abusers were abused.
Andrew Devlin:
Right. Yeah. Yeah. And I guess it can give you a level of compassion, rather than a level of hate. And it's just like... Because again, we can be so compassionate to children and so cold to adults.
Laura Evans:
Yeah.
Andrew Devlin:
And it's just like, there was a reason for it as well. So.
Laura Evans:
Yeah [crosstalk 00:11:34].
Janelle Devlin:
Like justice, but behind it you're like, "Oh." Maybe it allows you to be able to pray for them, forgive them.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Janelle Devlin:
In the midst of.
Laura Evans:
Exactly. Exactly, exactly. I mean everyone deserves redemption, and restoration is for everyone. And forgiveness, in our situation and in general, forgiveness is what we choose to do. A dear friend of ours, someone that you know really well, she told me, when I was walking through this, she said, "Forgiveness is not a feeling. So don't expect to wake up and feel like forgiving. Forgiving is a decision, but it's a decision that you have to purposefully with intent make." And I know for me, as the mother of a sexually abused child, I not only am forgiving the abuser, I have to forgive myself. And that's what you run into as a parent, because we're protectors. We're responsible for protecting our children. And I have some things that I have learned, and for my grandchildren now, that I'm doing differently because I'm more aware. I'm more educated.
Laura Evans:
And that's what I just want to encourage everyone listening is, go right now. Go right now to that organization, that website I mentioned. Go study and go learn what some basic signs are and things that you should be looking out for, because the end of child sexual abuse should not depend solely on the courage of a child to step up and point the finger at the abuser. We, as the adults, are much more threatening to a predator than a child is, but we're silent, because we don't know. We're stupid. We don't know what's happening. We're uncomfortable with it, so we kind of let things slide. We don't want to get anybody in trouble. And so, we don't react to our gut feeling, and your instinct and your gut feeling about things is so right most of the times. So, I'd be happy to share what some of the things are that I've learned.
Janelle Devlin:
Yeah, that'd be great.
Laura Evans:
So, a couple of things that I've learned is, first of all, we want to create an environment with children. So our children, our grandchildren, our nieces, our nephews, we want to create an environment where they know that you will listen to them. And sometimes, that means asking the next question. Sometimes, if a child has been exposed to any kind of abuse, they're not going to come out and tell you that, because they think it's their fault and they don't know how you're going to react to it. So instead, they might talk about something that's happening somewhere else, and kind of gauge what your reaction is to it. But it's important to just be very overt and say, "You know you can always tell me anything. There is nothing that you cannot tell me. And I want to learn from you. I want to listen to you."
Laura Evans:
And it's important that, I know for me, in picking up my kids from school, those were some of the best little conversations. It's in the car ride that we have some of our best conversations. But, letting them know that you're important enough to me, that I'm going to block that time from phone calls, so that I can have a conversation with you. And the conversation may be, what was your favorite thing about your baseball practice or your time over at your friend's house? What was your least favorite thing? Was there anything weird or strange that happened? You can make it light. You don't have to make it an interrogation. What I will not ever say to my children or my grandchildren is, "Did you behave?" and "Were you good?" That is so mind scrambling, if they are subjected to a situation where a predator is trying to manipulate them.
Laura Evans:
And the reality is, guys, our kids behave much better when they're out of our sight than they do when they're with us. I mean, come on. We know that, right? Don't they? They do. They're like little angels when they're away from us. But then with us, we get to see all the stuff, and they test all the boundaries. So, we don't need to ask them that. We've already set them up to be successful and equipped them to be successful in minding. But what we don't want to reinforce is how a predator could be manipulating them, that, "I'm the adult figure, so you've got to listen to what I say. And if I'm asking you to watch this or respond to this joke or check this out or do this, then, because I'm the adult, you've got to mind me." And you're reinforcing that condition. So I will never ask that question of my children or grandchildren, "Were you good?" and "Did you behave?" and "Did you follow what their rules were?" You don't need to ask that. The parents will tell you if something went wrong, and most of the time, the kids are better over with somebody else than they are with you.
Laura Evans:
I teach my children now that surprises are great, secrets are not. Surprises are great. I take secret out of our language.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Laura Evans:
Birthday surprises are great. We're going to surprise somebody with a special announcement. Surprises are great. Secrets are not. And if anyone asks you to keep a secret, you need to understand it's important enough that you can share that with me. You can tell me about anything that someone asks you to keep as a secret. We don't keep secrets. I love you unconditionally. There is nothing that will change my love for you ever. There is nothing you could ever tell me that would change my love for you. And there's no secrets. We don't keep secrets. But, we do like to have surprises and we like to have fun. But that's another technique of a predator is, "This is our secret and you're special," and all those kinds of things that they manipulate a child who just doesn't know better. They just don't know.
Janelle Devlin:
Totally. Yep. [crosstalk 00:17:15].
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah. We tell our kids the same thing. It's like, "Nothing you can do is ever going to stop me loving you. You can always tell us the truth. You're not going to get in trouble ever, if you tell the truth, even if you, 'I scratch the car.' Awesome. Thanks for letting me know." Because it's got to be those little things, doesn't it?
Laura Evans:
Yes.
Andrew Devlin:
And if they can't trust us with the little things, if we blow up over a little thing when they told us the truth, then we're just telling them to not tell us the truth in the future on the bigger things.
Laura Evans:
That is so healthy, because that is where a predator thrives is in causing your child to think that something that they're doing is wrong. And so children naturally want to hide from us, so that they don't get in trouble for something. And the predator leverages that. So being able to create that disciplinary environment where the truth wins and the punishment when you tell the truth is not the same. Truth is what rules. And so, that's really great that you're learning that and creating that environment. That's great.
Laura Evans:
Drop in unexpected. If your children, I mean, my daughter never spent, and this is something I run into a lot. When I'm sharing our story, and our story's been shared on a few different podcasts and several different areas out there for awareness, a lot of people come to me and say, "Well, that wouldn't happen, because my child doesn't spend the night anywhere else. I've got a rule that my child doesn't spend the night anywhere else."
Janelle Devlin:
Yeah.
Laura Evans:
And, hey, I appreciate, I used to think that way too. But news flash, my daughter never spent the night anywhere either. And her abuse and trafficking happened after school, and before we were home from work. And it was just her hanging out at her best friend's house and with other kids that were there. So it wasn't as isolating as what I thought as all everything I thought, all of the flags I thought. I thought creepy person. I thought internet. This family was your normal, involved in the community. The kids loved to go over there. I would pick my daughter up from over there. Never noticed anything. Nothing ever stood out to me. They had a baby during the time that the abuse was happening. I mean, none of my flags were going off, which is because I was uneducated. I just not realized what to look for. But dropping in unexpected is a really great thing, to be able to just drop in whenever you want to and making sure that you'd make a practice of that.
Janelle Devlin:
So dropping in when the kids are over there playing, you're saying? Just kind of drop in and check in?
Laura Evans:
Yep.
Janelle Devlin:
Yes. Here's my question. How do we, as we kind of bring this together and as we're... Thanks for just helping to equip all of us. This is going to help us to go deeper with this, so we can be aware, because we love our families, right? And, success encompasses family, regardless of the age of your kids or even if you have kids, family is such a part of this. So, we focus on this today, even though it's a hard conversation, like we said, how can we not live in a state of fear? How do you speak to that? I mean, we're going to have resources, that sort of thing, but how do we not maybe, or how does the parent not stay worried when the kids are over at a house? Or... What would you say to that?
Laura Evans:
Yeah, it's kind of like motor vehicle driving training, right? We know the statistics. We're aware of accidents and all the things that can go wrong in driving a car. But yet we do it. We drive a car and we accept that there's risk involved, but we've educated ourselves and we've equipped ourselves. And that's just like manners and behaving with your children. You've equipped them. So, these conversation pieces and the environment that you create to build a trust between you and your child, take peace in knowing that you've equipped them. You've equipped them to use their manners. You've equipped them to grow up and be great citizens. And you've also equipped them, if they encounter anything like this, that you've created an environment where you'll be able to walk through with it together. And that's what you've got to lean on.
Laura Evans:
You've got to just lean on, "I've equipped my child. I've created an environment of love and openness and honesty. And I'm going to continue to reinforce that. And I have to have faith that there is risk out there." When you put your child on a bus for a bus trip, there's risk involved. But you can't worry about that the whole time. I mean, we live in a broken world. When you fly on a plane somewhere, there's risk involved. So, you have to accept that we live in a world that's broken and there are risks, "but I've equipped my child, and I know we've got a good relationship that we can withstand whatever the risk is."
Andrew Devlin:
It's just a powerful statement. So you can lean on that strength. So I think it is, it's like more people know about home maintenance or blowing out the sprinklers than this subject. What are some of your tips for the people that are in that busy phase? They're growing their career. They support in the family financially. They've got that ambition. I think a lot of people out there, they feel like they're already so busy. "Will this be applicable to me? Do I have the time to even look at this?" Because how do people do success well and know this, so ultimately, these things give a even better relationship to the children? Nothing happens, which is obviously the hope and the prayer, knowing this stuff will help you have a closer, deeper, richer relationship with your children.
Laura Evans:
That's right. And, when we are successful, as a successful entrepreneur or career-minded person, we understand the significance of time management. This is your family, and balance is a part of time management. And, what I encourage is, especially with your children and that relationship, that's not built with a block of an hour of time. That's built with 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there, 10 minutes here, 10 minutes there. I believe that, as a successful business person, you are capable of managing your time for your business, and you have to also consider how you're managing your time for your children.
Laura Evans:
For example, like I mentioned, I recognized, because my son told me, when I left my career, and I began building a business as an entrepreneur, I asked him, "What is your favorite thing about now that I'm out building a business and I'm not in my career?" And he said to me, "It's that you're not on the phone when you pick me up from school." Because I used to always be on conference calls. It never ended. So I began blocking, that I could control my own schedule. And I began blocking that, that window of time, when we're in the car together, sometimes he says nothing. Sometimes he says a lot. And, just the fact that we're together, it's giving them the time, whether you're having that conversation or not, letting them know, "You're valuable enough to me, that I'm not working at this time. I'm not working at this time. I'm going to be working at these other times. But at this time, I'm not working," is really important and absolutely doable.
Laura Evans:
You can have a business and a thriving career and a thriving business, and have balance with your family. It is absolutely. And you guys are a great example of that too. And I know, as a parent, you always feel like you're catching and throwing. You feel like you're always juggling. That's just the way life is. But the fact that you are juggling versus dropping everything says that you're doing it right. Feel the juggling of it, feel the pressure of it, but just know that that's okay. That's normal. You're not ever going to not feel that way.
Janelle Devlin:
Yes, yes. No, that's so helpful, Laura, and it's helpful just to feel like we all can. This, I believe, is a non-negotiable.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Janelle Devlin:
For any adult.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Janelle Devlin:
To have that awareness. And if someone has a teen right now, and maybe their teen is in the season where maybe not as many conversations are happening, what I'm hearing from you is we as adults can create that environment. We can set aside the time. We can let them see our fun side. Let them see that we can have self-control with our business, and they can see us do life well.
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah. And I think [crosstalk 00:25:46] you said it, sitting next in a car, I've had some amazing conversations with my kids. So, even just going for a road trip. And again, I think you said it wonderfully, just allowing them to talk if they want or not talk. It's not like, "Why aren't they talking? They need to be talking. They need to be talking." It's like, they'll talk. Or going for a walk or just doing life more side by side, rather than face to face, I found. Because kids then, they can get a little shocked, but it's just like, "Hey, let's go do something fun. Let's go and just spend time together. Or let's just sit on the couch and relax together," whatever that time is. But kids need the space to be able to talk.
Laura Evans:
Yes. And let them be the DJ in the car. [crosstalk 00:26:27] I want to hear what you're listening to. I want to play the game that you want to play. And yes, I love the way you said that, Andrew, that you're kind of walking side by side with them, not in front of them. That matters. It's not the quantity of the conversation, as much as it is the quality of attention. "You have my attention, and you are important enough that I'm not distracted at this time with something else. Now, at other times, you know that we're working on this goal as a family for business and that's my work time. But in your time, it's about you."
Andrew Devlin:
Yeah.
Janelle Devlin:
I think that could be the biggest-
Andrew Devlin:
Yes.
Janelle Devlin:
The greatest action step for the go-getter that's listening to this, is that that is going to be far more beneficial than overcorrecting with homework and achievements and sports and all of these things. It's like, look at your child as a person. There's so much happening under the surface that needs nourishing, so that they can learn to be thriving adults, especially just the culture that we're in and everything that's at them.
Andrew Devlin:
I see this, coming from England, where there was no afterschool programs. There's no afterschool sports, at all. And here, I'm always amazed at how jampacked children's schedules are. And they don't have the space to have communication with their adult, because it's like, "Oh, you have a window on a Thursday night. What could we do? We could sign you up for..." whatever it is. I'm a big believer in letting kids be kids.
Laura Evans:
Yes.
Andrew Devlin:
And give them the space to be creative themselves, rather than always feeling that. They're going to have lots of time where their schedule is jampacked as an adult. And, let kids be kids, and they don't have to be the world's greatest at everything.
Laura Evans:
Yes, exactly. And it's okay to have fun with your kids. I know it's stressful as a parent, and you're trying to get all the things right. You're trying to provide for them. You're trying to teach them. You want to make sure they get their academic work done. And it's a lot of stress for us as a parent. But when you're looking at your calendar and you're blocking that time with them, make sure it's time for fun. Sit down and play a video game with them. Let them make their own pizza for the night. Do a pizza night where they get to make their own pizza, what toppings they want on it. My kids still remember, one of their favorite meals that we do is like an Italian bar, where we've got all the different sauces and all the different pastas and they can make whatever they want.
Laura Evans:
I always teach my grandchildren, and my children that have children, "Hey, if you're struggling to get your kids to eat something, let them make it. They will eat it if they make it." So yeah, I mean, plan that fun time. Andrew, I know we were talking about plants and things earlier. So my kids, one of the things they loved most was just gardening, planting flowers, planting, vegetables, nurturing them, watching them. That could be your time that's just with them, being outside and getting your hands dirty and doing. What are their interests that you can involve that time? And it doesn't mean that you have to leave your job and stay at home full-time, and that you're not able to do anything else other than 100% kids.
Laura Evans:
I learned a great lesson too, in a series that I talked about, about kids are not the CEO of your house. And a lot of parents, because we're guilty, because I feel guilty of not being there or working outside the home or whatever, then we are guilty of saying yes to everything that the kids want and letting the kids run the house. Oh, the kid wants to do this, well, we're doing that, and then this. But no, we don't mean to put children in a role to run your house. You are the adult to run the house. But you should create space and time for them be children, for you to have fun together and to nurture that relationship, where you've got that trusting relationship. So that if something bad happens that they get exposed to, or awkward or uncomfortable, that they know to listen to their gut as well and listen to their intuition, and that there's spaces where they can talk with you about it, if it needs to come to the surface.
Janelle Devlin:
Yes. Yep. Kids thrive with love boundaries, quality time, don't they? Oh, that's a great way to bring this all together. Thank you, Laura. I mean, as we're talking about-
Andrew Devlin:
Truly appreciate it, yeah.
Janelle Devlin:
Protecting our children on the road to success, I think that we've all taken some really great, have some great takeaways that we can really bring into our families, so that we can be aware and hopefully change the future because of our awareness.
Andrew Devlin:
And I'd encourage you guys, jump on that website.
Janelle Devlin:
Yep.
Andrew Devlin:
Dark to Light-
Janelle Devlin:
Darkness to Light. It's at d... No, sorry.
Laura Evans:
Yeah. It's d2l.com.
Janelle Devlin:
We'll edit this part out. [crosstalk 00:31:18] Yeah. So the website today is Darkness to Light, and it's d2l.org. So we'll have that in the show notes. We want to encourage you guys, share this with some others. Share this with a handful of others, because this is how we're going to be able to bring more of this awareness.
Andrew Devlin:
And schedule that awareness in this week.
Janelle Devlin:
Make that a priority.
Andrew Devlin:
Jump on there. Do something. You never know, but I'd rather be prepared than ill-equipped.
Janelle Devlin:
Very good. Well, thank you, Laura Evans. We love you. We're thankful for you, and thanks for having the courage yourself to be able to share. And, we'll talk to you soon.
Andrew Devlin:
All right. Thanks, Laura. All right.
Janelle Devlin:
Thank you.
Andrew Devlin:
Enjoy road tripping.
Janelle Devlin:
Thanks for joining us today, guys. We hope that you can take away something that inspires you into action, that informs you about an area, whether it's with your health, relationships, with your home, your business, and that also equips you for the journey ahead with family and with business. Thanks for joining us for Love Plus Money.
Janelle Devlin:
Hey, if you haven't already, go head on over to devlinworldwide.com. You guys can get our free download about the five main things that we schedule into our week, to be able to do success well, both with family and with business. So, that is a free resource for you guys, head on over to give us a review. That would be incredible. Like, share, do all the things. We hope that we can be life-giving into your life and speak love also into your business. We're so thrilled for the adventure ahead. See you next time.