Family and Parenting
Passing On A Good Story- Priceless!
I truly enjoyed the time my kids and I got to spend back home this summer. I take them as much as the Lord allows because I want them to know who they are, where their roots came from and ensure they develop memorable relationships.
Watching my uncle and cousin feed their catfish was so much fun. My kids were leaning over the side, running back and forth looking at the water in amazement as the fish would surface to devour the food. They were having the time of their lives. It certainly wasn't as fun for my aunt. Some things never change. She was worried and jumpy the whole time, convinced that at any second one of the kids was going to fall off the dock. Every time one of them moved an arm she 'took to squealing'. "Now Tanie, she's going fall in, hold her by the shirt!" I had to laugh and tell my kids the story because it wasn't so many years ago that her kids and I were the ones standing on the dock fishing and she was doing the same thing to us.
Parenting Toolbox Part 1 of 3
Parenting children in today's society has never been more challenging. All across our country adolescents are caving to peer-pressure and abusing drugs and alcohol at a dangerously alarming rate.
Teens know more about pharmacology, computer science, and telecommunications than any generation before them. Being a pro-active parent is essential if we want to keep our children safe and healthy in this dangerous and ever-changing world. Here are some pro-active tools for your parenting toolbox that will help you achieve this goal:
Melting Pot
Before adding your loved ones into the melting pot of a blended family, consider the following suggestions. Boundaries and expectations of how your blended family will work should be established. Even biological families struggle to get along, so don't expect a new step-parent/child relationship to be successful immediately.
If the children are old enough, talk to them about the upcoming living situation and what that means to all.
Back-to-School Shopping, What a treat! NOT!
Seeing all the back to school signs got me to thinkin’ about the last time I hit the stores. I was on the hunt for the perfect color dress-shirt for my husband to wear with his suit.
I looked everywhere for one that would be under my twenty dollar rule so I decided to give the mall a try. Shopping with kids is about as fun as having a bad sunburn. It’s a workout just trying to get the kids out of the car seat while holding the door of your SUV so it doesn’t dent the Mercedes parked next to you. I finally win the battle of “you have to sit in the stroller or there will be a consequence” and in we go for a quick lunch with a friend.
Educating Our Children for a Brighter Tomorrow
Most Christian parents I know share a concern for raising their kids during this time in history. Would you agree with me that the following words, in general, describe the state of the union?
There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the seas are taken away.
The Call to Train Our Children
I remember the day I found out I was pregnant with our first child. It was so unexpected and unplanned.
I had not truly considered the changes that a child would bring in our lives – we weren’t even discussing children at that point.
What Kind of Mom Leaves the Baby in the Car?
I'm notorious for having to eat my words.
One of my all time favorite quotes is "I'd never do that!" You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now because as soon I open my big mouth, and start judging people, I might as well go knock on their door and ask to borrow their shoes!
Modern Dads and the Women Who Love Them
4 Practical Ways You Can Help Your Man be the Best Dad He Can Be
In the past 15 years, there has been a change in how we define a “good father.” Dads today are expected to be involved in their kids’ lives in a way fathers have never been before. It’s no longer unusual to see men holding babies in a front carrier, changing a diaper, or at story hour. The National Center for Fathering found that between 1999 and 2008, there were major increases in the percentage of dads who take their children to school, attend class events, help their kids with extracurricular activities, and attend parent-teacher conferences.
A Day at the Water Park
With my kids, they've always got something up their sleeve! It’s like I'm a glutton for punishment and this time my own "hee-haw" ways showed itself in my kids.
It all started with me yellin’ for them to hurry up and get ready for the first day of the season at our friendly neighborhood water park. I'm busy with my own-self. You know what I'm saying. My legs had been in denim hibernation for months. Preparations had to be made. I heard Beth Moore once say that tan fat looks better than white fat and friends I'm with her!
