Christopher Sykes begins our interview by saying, “You might think we’re wearing red, white, & blue for Independence Day, but the reality is, we are Ole Miss Rebels through and through. Hotty Toddy!!”
Coral Springs residents Chris and Stephanie are the fun, spirited parents of Grayson, 10, Caitlyn, 8, Campbell, 6 & George, 3.
The family moved to South Florida from Decatur, Alabama three years ago. Getting accustomed to the tropics has been an interesting challenge. Christopher tells us, “Stephanie says we live in Jurassic Park with all the giant lizards that live in our backyard. I’m thinking of saddling one up for George to ride!” They relocated to our area in order to join the staff at Church by the Glades, where Christopher is a pastor and principal of their private school, Glades Christian Academy, and Stephanie is a kindergarten assistant teacher.
All the kids attend Glades Christian Academy where Grayson is going into the 5th grade, Caitlyn the 3rd, Campbell the 1st, and George the older 3’s at the preschool. Grayson’s favorite class is Computers and he is currently learning to code. Caitlyn says her favorite subject is Science because she loves to do science projects. Campbell’s favorite subject is art because she gets to be creative and be a little artist. Stephanie says, “We think her favorite subject is really boys. She started planning her wedding while she was in VPK. We’re going to have to keep a close eye on that one!” George’s favorite subject is recess because he loves to play.
Grayson has played soccer and flag football in Coral Springs, most recently with the Ultimate Flag Football League. He’ll be returning for his second fall season with the Coral Springs Flag Football Club.
Caitlyn & Campbell enjoyed a year dancing and are now concentrating on gymnastics. Caitlyn recently made the Competitive Level 1 Team, which has her practicing three nights a week.
Chris & Stephanie are passionate about coaching other parents to make their homes incubators of faith for their children. They believe that what happens at home is far more important that what happens at church. Chris says, “It has been our experience that many parents don’t recognize the fact that they, not the church, not peers, not media, not schools, are the most influential people in the lives of their children, regardless of age.”
Stephanie says, “When we first started adding children to our family, I was a little nervous. I didn’t know if we could afford even one. When we added the second one, I was afraid I didn’t have enough time, love, and attention to split between the two. But now I would say to moms, ‘Don’t be afraid to have multiple kids. Having four really is great! The more, the merrier…except for the laundry of course.’”
With their busy schedules, both agree that it’s often difficult to find a lot of spare time, but the six of them have dinner together most nights during the week, finding the right hour to accommodate everyone’s schedule…..and every Tuesday night is Taco Tuesday! They also do regular family movie nights at home on Fridays. Chris adds, “Probably our favorite thing to do together is go to Disney World!” Preferring weekdays during the school year when it’s not as crowded, Chris says, “It’s a good thing our kids are all great students…and it doesn’t hurt that daddy is the principal.”
But what they really love the most is their church. “I’ve served at and visited many churches of all sizes around the country, and I believe that Church by the Glades is truly unique,” Chris shares. “It really is a place where there are ‘No Perfect People Allowed.’ Even if I wasn’t on staff, this is the place I would want to plug in!”
