“I don’t like Christmas.” When my seven-year-old son said those words, I was floored. I didn’t know how to answer him. Who doesn’t like Christmas? With family visits, fabulous food, and giving and receiving gifts,
Read moreTag: parenting
Who Will Teach Them?
How can I teach them what’s right? The worship leader spoke, “Let us all stand and sing.” I had worked a fifty-five-hour week that week, and the soles of my feet cried to be let
Read moreWhen Is It Okay for Christians to Curse?
It was dinnertime, and Kasie had been fasting since morning. We arrived at the hospital as the doors opened. Nobody seemed to know which vials to use for the uncommon tests. It had been a
Read moreI’m Not Ready, Yet
I’m not ready, yet. Watching my boy walk down the gravel driveway and out the gate, I felt my heart clench in my chest. He isn’t ready. He isn’t old enough. I needed to keep
Read moreThe Spitting Image
“He is the spitting image of his mother (or father).” Image entails the physical characteristics found in a child that are also found in one or both parents. Most of the time, this involves body
Read moreFAmily – Parent first, Friend Second
I had a friend years ago whose relationship with her mother was strained. They talked regularly. And though they honestly loved each other, it was not uncommon for their conversations to end in utter frustration.
Read moreRaising the Next Generation of Faith-Filled Defenders
In today’s child-centered age, children and adolescents shine in the spotlight, and parents either play a minor role or act like idiots. On the surface, this is also true of the Old Testament book of
Read more10 ways to parent our kids toward a hopeful future
Sometimes I fail as a mom. Sometimes I triumph. Sometimes I cry with my boys. Sometimes I laugh with them. And sometimes I am at such a loss for what to do that I just
Read moreSuper Heroes and Seasons of Change
It all started with the Boy Wonder. In the fall of 2005, my mom made Batman and Robin costumes for my boys. The two-year-old became smitten with Robin. I remember the morning I was awakened
Read moreA Mama’s Measure of Success
I recently read the following quote about successful parenting. A mother’s job is to teach her children not to need her anymore. The hardest part of that job is accepting success. Maybe it’s my fear
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