It started out innocently enough. One year, before Chuck and I had kids or much money to spend, we decided to forego our gift exchange and wait until the after-Christmas sales to purchase a small stereo system we were … Read More
The internet and use of personal screen devices exploded during our kids’ teen years. We had successfully negotiated the perils of TV and done a pretty good job in general with parenting inside the funnel during their growing up years. Our … Read More
Thankfulness Changes Everything How does thankfulness enable others to see the glory of God? What motivates thankfulness? Is a thankful heart only present when good things happen and life goes our way? What about when things aren’t going well … Read More
Busy fall days are upon us and before we know it, the holidays will be here! No doubt you are already making preparations for Thanksgiving, planning events for the upcoming Christmas season, and making your gift shopping lists and checking … Read More
The simple world of a toddler always gives way to a more complex world of early childhood. Early childhood then gives way to the even more complex world of the preadolescent and then the teen. The more complex the child’s … Read More
The human imagination is one of the reflective attributes of God transferred to man at the time of creation. Our imagination allows us to create a thought from a previous experience, or create a new thought by pulling independent … Read More
I went to Family Camp! With only a couple of weeks before it started, surprisingly, I was booking a flight to St. Louis to attend my first National Conference! What a great four days! Have you been to Family … Read More
You are at a family gathering and your three-year-old is dawdling over her plate. Grandma assumes she doesn’t like what she’s being served and offers to get her some cheese and bread instead. You want your child to learn to … Read More
Our children are born with the desire to do things on their own. A toddler will, when learning to eat on his own, often express “Me do it!” We have learned that there is wisdom in teaching certain tasks … Read More
At any given moment, our house is filled with a din of giggles, squeals, thumps, and babbling. It’s hard to imagine, but in just a couple of decades or so, the nest will be empty again. And when it is, … Read More
Parents can count on this… our children will require correction. Correction often involves the need to administer consequences. Have you heard the expression “that’s a tough nut to crack”? Determining appropriate consequences in the correction process that will make … Read More
Families today are surrounded by a culture of condemnation, judgment and death. It is a moral climate in which vice is celebrated above virtue and deceit above honesty, and self-interest reigns over the needs of others. Today’s children are growing … Read More