“Mom, what’s pornography?” The question was posed frankly by my 10-year-old while my kids and I were about the business of dinner clean-up—rinsing dishes, popping plastic containers of leftovers closed….
Janel Breitenstein
Janel Breitenstein graduated summa cum laude from John Brown University and began her career with NavPress, where she worked on The Message Bible. She is a mother of four and she and her family served as missionaries to Uganda for five years. Janel has continued using her gift of writing by serving as a writer and editor and you can read more from her at A Generous Grace.
Is It Ever Okay to Tell Him He’s Not Good at Something?
“I hate spelling. I’m a bad speller.” That’s what eeked out from my son’s down-turned, sun-bleached head this week as he and I labored through the words on his spelling…
7 Habits of Parents Whose Kids Solve Problems
It was a moment that changed my parenting. “Whenever we asked my dad what a word meant,” my husband explained, “we got the dictionary and looked it up together.” Yep,…
Avoiding Burnout: 31 Tips for Entering the No-Fry Zone
Author’s note: Some of you know that I struggle painfully with overcommitting, overworking, and a number of other (uh, prideful, fearful, faithless …) related issues that cost me and the…
8 Ideas to Teach Our Kids to Say “Yes” to Discernment … and “No” to Judging Others: Part II
Last week, I wrote about practical ways we can teach our children to be discerning without being judgmental. If you missed Part I, you can find it here. Now on with…
8 Ideas to Teach Our Kids to Say “Yes” to Discernment … and “No” to Judging Others: Part I
Let’s say you’re on a playdate, and another child offers a colorful presentation of precisely how not to behave. The parent is busy in conversation. Do you: A. Make sure,…
When God Packs Your Lunch
My mom packed a sack lunch for me daily for nearly my entire school career. (Thirteen years, three sisters, and my father… that’s a lot of lunches.) I believe the…
Step Six Out of Angry: Target Problem Areas
It’s been a good year on the anger front. On speculation, I’d say it has to do with: a) The Holy Spirit. b) Having made it through more stressful times…
The 2014 Question
Looking around my table this past Thanksgiving, I took a long drink of that goodness that feels so deeply good. For me, it was the Thanksgiving of dreams: We were…
Ideas for Easier, Cheaper, More Generous Holidays
You probably already do this as a mom, but during the holiday season our evaluation becomes even more important: “Which is more valuable here–my money, or my time? My time…