The concept of friends and building solid friendships is another one of those areas in parenting that requires an on-going conversation with our kids. We begin by helping our children define friendship. When my kids were little, they would refer to anyone that they had played with as their “friend.” During visits to the neighborhood playground they would point out their “friends” to me. When I would ask them to tell me the names of their “friends,” my girls would usually say, “I don’t know. But they’re my friend.” While this is typical for this stage of development, I began
Category: parenting
The topic of education always seems to spark controversy, so let me begin by saying that this will not be an exhaustive discussion regarding this subject. More than anything, I just want parents to recognize that we need to be purposeful when it comes to educating our children. The responsibility lies squarely with us. Not the government. Not the school. Not the community. Not the church. Sobering, isn’t it? Now, that is not to say that we can’t have any realistic expectations of any institution that we choose to help us in this process. But that is a whole other
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Never stop praying, parents! Pray with your children whenever you possibly can. Pray together in the morning when your day starts, at meal times, when they have owies or hurt feelings or are worried, and before they go to bed. Pray with them when they aren’t feeling well. Say prayers of thanksgiving when all is well. Have them pray. How precious it is to hear the sincere faith-filled prayer of a little child! Most
I first learned about the strong-willed child in one of my child psychology classes in college. The information presented at that time painted a pretty dismal picture of what it meant to deal with this temperament. Stubborn, obstinate, rebellious, virtually impossible to discipline- not an attractive list of characteristics. The parents of these children were endlessly frustrated and exhausted. I was happy to move on from this subject of study. And then I gave birth to my very own strong-willed child. From the moment she came on the scene, my oldest daughter was determined to do life on her own terms.
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.” ~ Psalms 139:13-16 Each one of us is uniquely created with God-given gifts