The explosion in divorce rates, along with the rise of stepfamilies, unrelated guardians, unmarried couples, gay parents, surrogate mothers, and grandparents serving as primary caretakers have left the American culture scratching its head over what this thing called family really is. There has never been a golden age when family life was perfect, but families are facing changes and challenges today at an unprecedented rate. Families need to endorse three things if they want to be effective in a post-Walton age. 1) Effective families must learn to become champions at communication. The Scripture writer says it like this, "Let everyone be slow to anger, slow to speak, quick to listen." 2) The home must become a teaching center. Parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents must take very seriously their role in shaping and forming little human lives. Teaching kids how to invest wisely, the difference between right and wrong, the importance of responsibility, and the need for church life are just a few lessons that need to be taught. 3) Effective families must choose to treasure their time together. Hang-around times are those lazy Saturday mornings when you fix breakfast together in your pajamas. No one is in a hurry to get someplace, and kids need that. We also need to have focused times with our children. These are times when the TV is off, work is put aside, and all energy is invested into having significant conversations with the kids we love.