Category: Everything Parenting
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Book Review: Cherished Gifts
As the mother of three, I’ve picked up quite a few devotional books for moms over the years. So when I started reading Cherished Gifts by Katie Martin, I was expecting much of the same. But this is not your average devotional. It is filled with anecdotes and experiences—some funny, some poignant—that any mother can…
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Scribbles Into a Masterpiece
Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21) My refrigerator is an art gallery flaunting my daughter’s artwork to anyone in pursuit of a snack. With determination in her furrowed brow, she spends hours each day creating new masterpieces for the gallery. One day, after…
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Endless Questions
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. (Psalm 46:10,11) My daughter is an expert question asker. Because I am often short on patience with her curiosity, my…
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Teaching Your Infant to Sign
All done. Those were my son’s long anticipated first words. He “spoke” them using sign language when he was just nine months old. Why teach sign, you ask? There are many benefits. A primary benefit is reduced frustration for both parent and child. When babies are first born, they communicate primarily through crying. While it…
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Today, I Am Not
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58) My day began with a dropped mug and hot coffee splattered from one end of the kitchen to the other. It continued with my child’s full-fledged temper tantrum in the frozen food aisle that resulted in my publicly conspicuous exit…
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How to Cope with Stress
Are you stressed out? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. A recent study by the American Institute of Stress found that 77% of people in the United States regularly experience physical symptoms caused by stress and 73% regularly experience psychological symptoms caused by stress. Beyond that, 33% feel they are living with “extreme stress”…
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Learning to Learn
Familiar dialogue? Most parents have been there. How can parents instill in their children a desire to take responsibility seriously? How can they help their children see the value in developing and maintaining positive study habits? Habits they will carry with them the rest of their lives.
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A Checklist for Christian Parents
Does either of the following expressions describe your approach to teaching your children? “Do as I say, not as I do.” Or, “Monkey see, monkey do.” Neither is totally effective. A better saying would be— “Learn from what I teach you, and watch what I do.”