The young mother-to-be listened to her friend "Courtney" with growing dismay as she listed a long litany of complaints about the difficulties of parenting. "Get ready for lack of sleep," Courtney warned. "Get ready for temper tantrums. Just wait until they can talk back." Finally, Courtney concluded, "Oh, but I wouldn't trade having kids for anything." The other young woman wondered, Are you sure? Because parenting sounds pretty miserable! If you find yourself experiencing far more stress and hardship than joy in raising children, here's a little secret: It doesn’t have to be Continue Reading
One Fun, Doable Way to Teach Kids Faith and Gratitude
A gentle breeze ruffled the surface of the lake as I wandered along the shore line, eyes to the ground. Oh, there’s a good one! I picked up a smooth, round, grey stone and put it in a container. By the time I was done collecting rocks, I had a small bucketful. I’m not a rock hound, nor did I need more stones for the landscaping in our yard. So why was I collecting rocks on a mountain lake shore during our summer vacation? I wanted to work on developing gratitude in my life—and you can use this same method for your whole family. My “gratitude craft” involved the rocks I’d Continue Reading
Why Fear-Based Parenting is a Terrible Idea
Late one evening when our kids were young, I was heading for bed when I noticed a piece of paper propped against the pillows. It was a note to Scott and me from the oldest of our three sons, then thirteen. Danny was going through a bit of a rough patch. Just when he needed to gain a greater measure of independence and self-awareness, he’d developed a close friendship with a boy whose home life included episodes of domestic violence. This boy was acting out, exhibiting negative habits of rebellion and foolishness which concerned us due to the influence his behavior had on Continue Reading
How to Navigate Gender Issues as a Christian Parent
Your daughter’s friend was born female, but identifies as a boy, including a name change. Your kind-hearted girl comes alongside her friend, but you feel nervous about who is influencing whom. You’re downtown in the big city, and your son is too old to use the women’s restroom with Mom. Just after he heads into the men’s room, you see a cross-dressed person follow him in. What’s a parent to do? If you’re a Christian parent with a traditional view of sex, marriage and gender, you might feel like an anomaly. More importantly, you may be wondering how to teach your children what Continue Reading