Island of Bryan: Sarah and Bryan Share Their Essential Parenting Tips

Parenting is a challenge even in the best of times. Toss in a new business venture, an international move and a global pandemic and Bryan and Sarah Baeumler certainly have their hands full. Despite all of the obstacles against them, their family continues to thrive in The Bahamas, and now Bryan and Sarah are sharing ten parenting tips that have helped them weather the last three years filming Island of Bryan.

New episodes of Island of Bryan return Sunday, June 27 at 10PM e/p on HGTV Canada and STACKTV which is available through Amazon Prime.

HGTV Canada

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Don’t Overthink It

Change can be intimidating, especially with children in the mix, but after seeing how quickly and happily his kids took to a new environment and culture after moving, Bryan learned not to overthink things. “I still remember Josephine and Lincoln, the first day we arrived there, they got off and there were some local kids playing down the beach and they were like, ‘Hey, kids!’ and then they were gone, playing, chasing coconuts around, having games. And it was so, so pure and innocent, and amazing for us to watch.”

HGTV Canada

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Make Time for Yourself and Your Own Dreams

While supporting the dreams of their children are paramount, Bryan and Sarah also know the secret to a happy parent is a happy person. Carving time out for themselves as a couple, and as individuals, is a key component of what makes their family work. Not only is it fulfilling on a personal level, it’s also inspiring for their children. Bryan’s been working on his pilot’s license in The Bahamas, and recently piloted his first solo flight. “It’s a big, big step for me,” he says. “It’s something I’ve been had my eyes on for years.”

Sarah Baeumler laughing with Bryan Baeumler

HGTV Canada

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Learn to Laugh at Yourself

Reflecting on the last year, and season three of Island of Bryan (particularly the rough cuts!), Bryan insisted they’ve never laughed so hard at themselves, “We’re just at that point now, we just laugh at everything. This is going to be a great season.”

Watch the latest episode of Island of Bryan now!

HGTV Canada

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Recognize That Each Child Needs Love in Different Ways

Supporting the B Team (aka the Baeumler children) through the ups and downs of moving to The Bahamas, and figuring out their new normal after COVID hit, looked a little different for each kid, and that’s something Bryan and Sarah believe is a general rule. As Sarah shared, each child needs love and support in different ways, “Lincoln for instance, he needs his cuddle. He likes his time at night when we sit with him and cuddle. Charlotte likes her independence and we reinforce it. It’s very different for each kid, how we show our affection to them and what they need from us.” That individualized love and support was also evident in Bryan and Sarah’s decision this season to allow Quinten to stay home in Canada with his grandparents, so he could continue to pursue his equestrian training. It’s clear that Quinten’s happiness is Bryan and Sarah’s greatest concern, even if it means being separated for a time.

Sarah Baeumler

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Embrace Discomfort as a Family

Bryan is a firm believer in leading by example, so he’s always trying to find new ways to (safely) put his family in uncomfortable situations, to show his kids how to embrace the unknown and immerse themselves in new places and cultures.

HGTV Canada

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Give Kids an Opportunity to Take on New Responsibilities

After begging their parents for a pet, Bryan and Sarah finally relented and adopted an island dog. They hoped it would be a good opportunity for the kids to take on some new responsibilities, but as Sarah admitted, she’s usually the one up in the mornings to walk Willow!

HGTV Canada

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Let Children Forge Their Own Paths

As children get older, Bryan believes in allowing them to forge their own paths, and encourage them to be curious and explore. “As a parent, you want to make sure your kids are safe. You almost kind of go in first and make sure there’s no booby traps or holes to fall in, and then you let them go.”

HGTV Canada

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Don’t Tell Children How to Feel

An important factor in allowing kids to forge their own paths is respecting their own personal experience. Bryan believes in resisting the urge to tell kids what to expect and how to feel, “Don’t tell them what you think they should expect or how you think they should react.” This was especially important when exploring a new environment, as the Baeumler children did in The Bahamas.

HGTV Canada

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Allow Children to Embrace New Cultures and Lifestyles

When Bryan and Sarah arrived on the island, they made the initial decision to put their kids into the local school, in order to be fully immersed in the culture and form relationships with the local children, and it’s something Bryan has zero regrets over. “When we arrived on the island, we wanted the kids to embrace the culture and the lifestyle, so we put them in the local school. People said to us, ‘How are they going to be, perhaps ahead or behind? Or they won’t be at the same position where they are academically.’ But we said, that’s not what the year or two years or three years is all about for us. It was about them understanding this different island culture and what it meant to be there… it’s something that they embraced and they have learned so much. And I think have become very different young adults because of it.”

Bryan and Sarah Baeumler sitting and talking

HGTV Canada

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Learn to Let Go

Much like their experience building the resort, Bryan and Sarah know when it comes to parenting, you can’t control everything, and oftentimes, you just have to let go. Bryan jokingly called it “free-range parenting!”