We all want to raise good kids. We want our children to be kind and compassionate, loving and forgiving. How in the world do we teach them these things??? From my…
Children
A New Night Time Ritual—to Speak My Kids’ “Love Languages”
We’ve had some major upheavals in our family recently, of the moving-to-the-developing-world variety. It’s refreshed my experience of God’s faithfulness, to say the least—and of the resilience of children! But…
When Your Child Says, “There’s Nothing to Do”
It’s enough to drive us parents crazy, especially when we’ve just come through Christmas and the kids have presents galore, have been entertained nonstop by others, and have enjoyed many special events in…
Endurance: The Energizer Bunny of Character
10 Ways to Help your Child Finish Strong As I bring this blog series, The Importance of Building Character to a close, I think it’s only appropriate that we end on…
4 Gifts That Will Put a Smile On Your Child’s Face
Hurrying into the store, the mom hushed her young child. “Stop whining!” Her son didn’t seem to hear her. “I wanna go home.” Dad jumped in. “Stop it, now!” With…
Generosity — The Cure for the Gimmes
The Importance of Building Character Part IV – Generosity: The cure for the “gimmes” There’s a super villain that shows up this time of year. I call him the Green-Eyed…
Margins Bless and Reduce Family Stress
Hurrying through the house, we searched under chairs and beds for the lost shoe. “You need to be more responsible and keep up with things,” I reminded my child. On…
Ten Tips for Raising Kids Who Don’t Rebel
While there is no fail-proof recipe for raising kids who don’t rebel, here are 10 tips for parenting in a manner that encourages mutual respect, emotional attunement, and healthy boundaries….
Adoption – God’s Got It
About 8 years ago, the adoption discussion began in our home. We collected information, went to information meetings and gathered information from people about their adoption experiences – information overload. …
Adoption Wakes Up Hearts
Last night my two-year-old, Alyssa, drew a picture of a house, and it made me think about how different this house—our house—would be without this girl. Without her giggles, without…