Most of us start our walk with God at least a little impaired by a warped vision of who God is. We long to pass along to our children a richer, truer understanding of God, but how?
“For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb
1 I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13,14 NIV
These are the words every Jesus-loving parent wants their child to sing to God; the ultimate declaration of worth.
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For many years I knew I needed encourage my kids, but somewhere in the back of my mind I thought encouraging words were just an add on— an extra dose of nice-ness.
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Before I had kids, I made a vow to myself: “I will never yell at my children!”
Though I’d grown up in a loving home, neither of my parents knew what to do with their rising frustration over their kids’ annoying, irritating, down right obnoxious ways.
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Okay moms and dads, it’s time for me to get a little bossy.
Yep, me.
My grown kids will gladly let you know that’s not as rare as some might assume.
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When my father was little he didn’t have toys; he had work.
He worked hard, he worked long, he worked well. And he taught me how to work too.
To work hard. To work long. To work well.
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As with you, people often ask Diane and me: “So how are you guys doing?” My answer is always the same: “Our cup overflows"!
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There is only one perfect father; our Father who is in heaven! And there is only one perfect son; the Son who came from heaven. And there is only one perfect father/son relationship. The relationship between God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the burden I felt as my grand boy, Jude, walked out the door to go to school. What I didn’t tell you is that right after I prayed over him and hugged him good-bye, Jude straightened his shoulders, turned to me, and recited a poem.
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All this week I have been praying for your kids. I’ve taken their names and walked along the lanes surrounding Firwood Cottage, asking the Father to bless and strengthen, protect and grow these children into great men and women of God.
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Every once in a while I get to play at being mom to my Grands. This morning was one of those times— a glimpse into the real world of Jude, and Moses, and sweet Sunday.
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Today I came upon a blurb from our soon-to-be-released book that I’d love to sneak your way. Why wait till March when real life is getting in the way of living wisely now?
This is from me writing to moms, so...
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We have explored the differences between a melt-down and a temper tantrum, and addressed ways to deal with and train a child whose emotional implosions put him or her at risk for future difficulties. Now…
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This year Scarlet started kindergarten. She’d looked forward to going to school for months, counting the days until what seemed the best possible reward for turning five. Everything about the idea of school appealed to Scarlet’s super-extroverted, always-engaged outlook on life.
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In general I was wondering what sort of language or actions would we use to teach our two daughters emotional self-control.
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My mom slipped quietly into the presence of the Father just a couple weeks ago.
She died of Alzheimer’s disease, which means that the past few years have been confusing and discouraging and just… hard.
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Question: How can we minimize or (even eliminate) whining?
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Question: How do you create/foster empathy in a child who just doesn't seem to realize other's reactions and feelings?
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Since the beginning of summer we have been exploring the topic of sibling rivalry and conflict resolution. By now your kids have some tools to utilize when they experience those inevitable times when they step on each other’s toes.
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Last week we talked about the Friendly Discussion approach to conflict resolution. It is, I believe, the approach we should be using most often in our families. A way of defusing anger and dealing with difficult behavior that “gives grace to those who hear”.
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