Category: Everything Parenting

God’s got a plan; God’s got a plan. God told Mr. Noah, “I’ve got a plan! Mr. Noah, build me a boat, One that for many days will float.” God told Mr. Noah, “I’ve got a plan!” These words are from a song I remember having sung at vacation Bible school many years ago. I…

An eerie silence settled over the living room and was punctuated only by the tap, tap, tapping of styluses and thumbs on touch screens and tiny keyboards. Our family of five had joined the information age as proud owners of five, shiny new devices. The world was now at our fingertips. We were armed with…

Most, if not all, parents of children age 3 and older have heard the phrase “I didn’t do it.” The challenge with this statement is how to decipher whether or not it is true. Research has consistently found that people, even people trained to detect lying (e.g., police officers, judges), are poor at identifying honesty…

It’s that time of year: tiny kindergarteners ride the bus for the first time, middle-schoolers make a switch to bigger and better things, high school or college life begins for others. Yes, they are off on their adventures. But how do we know they will be okay? It is a question pondered by parents around…

Jaden couldn’t wait to start kindergarten. He was up and ready to go an hour before they had to leave for school. Two weeks into the school year, however, he reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, dawdled at breakfast, and complained that he had a tummy ache. Mom’s questioning revealed the true nature of the…

Most Christian parents easily recognize that discipline has an important role in parenting. Most of them are able to quote Bible passages in which God tells us discipline is one of our duties as parents. Unfortunately, many parents struggle with the decision of how and when to discipline. Providing developmentally appropriate discipline for our children…

I remember a bad thunderstorm we had last summer. Lightning flashed and crashed, and the wind blew mightily. We even spent a few minutes down in the basement. As I walked around the yard the next morning, I didn’t see much damage—only a few leaves and a couple of small twigs—EXCEPT for my prize tomato.…

What is the secret to Christian parenting? Some families seem to have well-adjusted children and calm parents. Other families seem to have children who are out of control and a parent or two pulling out their few remaining hairs. What is the difference?