I had a moment recently with one of my teenagers, but it wasn’t exactly one of those heart-warming talks that you see between parent and child on the Hallmark™ channel. We had this particular “convo” (aka “conversation” for those of us over 30) because there were some patterns I was seeing her demonstrate that I wanted…
Kids today are exposed to a lot of not-so-reality romance-driven TV shows and movies. And despite the backward way many of those relationships are portrayed through secular media outlets, there is something special to this thing we call love! In fact, the Bible mentions the word love close to 500 times. We read in 1 John 4:8 that God is love! And in John…
Christmastime with extended family can be challenging! And if you have a relative (or two, or three) that you consider more naughty than nice, it’s often hard to have a “holly jolly Christmas.” However, Christ does call us to do what sometimes seems impossible to do. In Luke 6:27 Jesus says: “Love your enemies, do good to those who…
Most of us think of the holidays as the best time of the year! However, when a family experiences the fracture of divorce in their household, this season can easily become a flurry of emotions that are not so merry or bright. 6 tips for single-parenting this Christmas season: 1. Be flexible Blended families have more complicated situations. Obviously, you’re now split between…
When you’re a child, you think of your parents as old—but not so old they cannot take care of themselves.” With the holidays comes time spent with family members, some of whom we have not seen in a while. And the realization often shocks us when we notice changes in our elderly family members’ ability to…
During the holidays, we tend to focus a lot on thankfulness as well as providing for others. It’s become part of our seasonal tradition as we’ve grown up with families of our own. But how do we teach this valuable lesson of gratefulness and giving to our youngest kids? Through their senses Especially with preschoolers and younger…
Working with kids during the teen years is difficult for even the most patient and understanding parents. It’s simply a challenging time of development for this age group which makes communication vital but tough in most cases. So, what’s a parent to do when their teenager is going through an especially problematic phase? Set boundaries Communicating…
If you’re hoping for growth in more than vocabulary and math this school year in your kids, here are five areas where small shifts will create big differences. Car rides Conversations may normally happen face-to-face, but if you really want to get the words flowing, drive your kids somewhere and you’ll be amazed at what you learn. Either…
Every child goes through various stages in life when they explore, grow, and develop into who they are supposed to be. During this time, children are learning about themselves—their likes and dislikes—as well as their hopes and fears. But what if you begin seeing your child’s personality change to where her fears outweigh her hopes?…
Schooling options took a wild turn during the pandemic. Parents who never imagined homeschooling their children were suddenly forced into the learning curve to do just that. But whether you were thrust toward it or have considered it casually for a while, the question still remains if it’s the right choice for every family. For some parents, of…