Once you become a parent, you are a parent for life. Sounds a bit ominous, doesn’t it? Fortunately we don’t have to do the entire job all at once. Just like everything else in life, there are different seasons in parenting. Each season comes with its own set of joys and challenges. Sometimes the challenges leave us longing for the next phase. We fall prey to the “whens” and the “if onlys.” “When the baby comes, then we can really start to get settled.” “If only she were potty trained, then things would be so much easier.” “When he starts
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“The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.” ~Anthony Robbins One of the most powerful ways we teach our children is through modeling. Those darling kiddos are always watching us, taking note of how we do life. They pick up all kinds of mannerisms just by watching us. How we stand, if we cross our legs when we sit, etc. They also notice how we treat other people. Are we friendly to the store clerk? Do we hold the door for others? Are we kind to our neighbors? Our kids will very quickly begin to imitate our
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
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