This is a tale of two tables. A friend of mine has a unique dining table. It’s round with raised stools and has an interesting pattern etched into its surface….
intentional parenting
Do Your Children Appreciate You?
Not likely; at least not most of the time. You’ve just taken them on a special outing. Or you set aside your agenda for a couple of hours to do something…
Having Vision for Who Your Children Will Become
I unloaded the dishwasher and listened as my girls giggled and chattered in the other room. They had dumped out the pieces of a board game, much too old for…
Helping Kids Deal With Their Fears, Part II
Editor’s note: Last week, Janel wrote about a situation with her daughter and how she and her husband dealt with her fears. Click here to read part one, and read…
Helping Kids Deal With Their Fears, Part I
I heard her sniffing before I saw the moist strokes left by tears on her cheeks. “I’m just scared,” she sobbed. My daughter was headed to a good friend’s house…
Can We Teach Our Children to Be Grateful?
Not too long ago a young mom wrote me asking if I could give some suggestions on how she could teach her children to be grateful. She wrote: “I love…
Courage: the Backbone of Character
If we were to write a classified ad for a parent, one of the parts of the job description would be character building. It is a non-negotiable for any conscientious…
Family Love to Quarantine Helpers
The coronavirus leaves us all considering the unknown and “what if’s” and that kind of thinking can spin a “mom-mind” into places you don’t want it to go. Little eyes…
Is Engagement With Children Extinct?
It is odd that a simple “life scene” that played out before my eyes in a doctor’s office waiting room would leave me near tears. As I entered the waiting…
Keeping Christmas Fresh
As I walked through the airport, I was surprised to see my gate decorated with several flags. There were glass cases along the walls filled with all sorts of medals…