Category: Everything Parenting

  • Words of Discipling

    We parents don’t enjoy being called into school for a meeting about our child’s behavior. Our first reaction may be “Why? —Why my child?” We may fret over what to
 say to the child. The impending ordeal can seem frustrating and exasperating, and it may be. It is also an opportunity—an opportunity to “disciple.” The…

  • Give Your Child an Advantage

    Give Your Child an Advantage

    Having an advantage can make all the difference in life. Just ask the job applicant who knows someone on the inside or the athletic team playing on its home field. We parents also understand the importance of having an advantage. From providing our children with a wide variety of extracurricular activities to enrolling them in…

  • Wants vs. Needs

    Wants vs. Needs

    I want that, she thought, as she saw the shiny trophy swaying gently on the branch before her. I really, really want that . . . and I am going to have it. It wasn’t the bite that she took out of the fruit but the thought that preceded the bite. And while sharing is…

  • Respectfully Yours

    Respectfully Yours

    Respect means taking the sidewalk instead of cutting across the lawn, asking to borrow your sister’s new sweater (not just wearing it and hoping she won’t notice), listening carefully to one more of Grandma’s stories from “way back when,” catching the door for a complete stranger. Respect is the reason you still can’t call your…

  • Home Devotions

    Home Devotions

    My five-year-old prays, “Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross to take away our sins. Amen.” I never get tired of hearing it, and she never gets tired of praying it. Her prayer is in response to devotions we have together as a family. God encourages parents, “Train a child in the way…

  • “A” Is for Anxiety

    “A” Is for Anxiety

    Did you blink? It may seem as if you were just driving home from the hospital—joy, panic, and fear coursing through you. After only 48 hours, the staff had nudged you out. You needed a license to drive the car home, but only a signature to take this person home. Bye! Go raise a child!…

  • Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

    Getting Your Child Ready for Kindergarten

    The first day of kindergarten often has some tears. And those tears are not reserved only for little ones. The first day of kindergarten for your child can stir emotions of joy and pride as well as a little apprehension. The following suggestions will help you prepare so that the beginning of your child’s formal…

  • Launching a Lifelong Love of Learning

    Launching a Lifelong Love of Learning

    While both you and your children may welcome summer vacation with open arms, you may do so for different reasons. Your children may dream of playing unlimited video games, staying up late, and keeping a safe distance from books. You, on the other hand, may dream of a summer filled with activities to keep their…