“Everybody has their own personality, so you find that sometimes, we have clashes, but overall we love each other, so we make it work,” said Vivienne.

The parents of three said God is at the forefront of their family and so worship is a priority for their household. They also try to maximize every opportunity to spend time together.

“We come to church together and we try to eat together as much as we can and we watch movies together. We do a lot of things together. We drive to work together and drop them off at school and then when we get home now, we might have the home work thing that I am totally responsible for,” said Vivienne.

Michael’s role is clear; he concentrates on the management of the finances.

The couple celebrated 21 years of wedded bliss in June. While they have accomplished many things together, there are some lingering regrets. Michael especially wishes his children were more involved in church activities, but he said it is something he has not given up on, and so he has been encouraging them to get more involved. The couple’s children are 14, 13 and five years old.

Michael now encourages other parents to not make a similar mistake.

“For me, I will tell any family, any husband, get the kids involved, make the sacrifice and carry them. If you have to take the bus with them, carry them and get them involved from early,” he said.

The Faith Cathedral Deliverance Centre has 36 Ministries and so children are offered many opportunities to get involved in Children Church, the choir, sign language, dance and other activities.

Michael finds that raising children is very difficult today given the current exposure to social media. Added to that is the fact that children are increasingly being taught to be assertive and bold.

“I grew up in the country, so my style of growing up is different from Kingston. My style of growing up in the country is that kids mustn’t back talk, they mustn’t answer, you must listen to what I say and do what I say,” he said.

Vivienne says having her personal time as a mother helps her to cope with raising teens.

 “The truth of the matter is that even with all of the craziness, we love each other and we make it work,” she said