Parenting

The Bible wants all people to come to know Him, and we should not hinder children from turning to Him (1 Timothy 2:4; Matthew 19:14). Start now teaching your children about the true meaning of Easter. Here are six ways to help your child understand the true meaning of Easter.

It can be challenging to bring the Bible into your family’s life without feeling as though you’re force-feeding or pushing it on your children. But whether you start young or in your middle years, there are ways to make Scripture unique, needed, and, yes, a discipline.

Why do we experience mom burn out? Because we feel the extreme pressure our culture has put on the value of a mom. We feel this pressure from friends, family, social media, and more often than not, ourselves. 

Our children constantly absorb our words, actions, and reactions, whether we want them to or not or whether we realize it or not. Let’s review how we can be Christ’s example to our children.

We wanted so badly to be parents, but we were failing to be obedient to our own Father. We forgot to seek Him – first. He wasn’t our first plan; He was our last resort. We got ahead of ourselves and began planning on that dancefloor the day we said, “I do,” forgetting a major component (the most important component, might I add) of the equation – God! I guess you could say we were both lovestruck.

If you feel bogged down, disconnected from your faith, and wondering if your efforts are making a difference in the relentless drive of culture, you’re not alone. This article will help you articulate what you are up against and give you the fuel to dive deeper into the arms of Jesus and enrich your parenting rewards.

Everything changes so fast between the years 13 and 18, and it is like living through a five-year hurricane. Here are a handful of pretty hard-won truths I wish I had known before my kids became teens.

Today, as society has become more accepting of blended families, thankfully, so has the church. Here are seven ways faith can strengthen blended families.

Parents need to have a strong biblical foundation to teach their kids the basics of morality and right and wrong. That way, when they encounter people who try to challenge their belief in what is right or wrong, they'll have a good anchor in a book that has been around for generations. When parents are anchored in the Word of God rather than what's popular in society, they increase their chances of having good, healthy, well-adjusted children who grow up to be healthy, well-adjusted adults.

Hearing my mother be vulnerable with me about the state of our finances was comforting. I couldn't do anything to change the situation. However, I'm glad they were able to share their struggles with me. Because I knew they were struggling, it made it easy for me not to ask them for anything frivolous as they could not afford it.

It is perfectly okay for Christians to decide not to have children, as the Bible doesn't mandate parenthood, and the decision should be based on personal convictions, health, finances, and lifestyle. God's love for individuals remains unchanged regardless of whether they have children, and the purpose of marriage is to reflect the love between Jesus and the Church, not to fulfill societal expectations.

Along with patience, I wish I would have been a better listener. Instead of multi-tasking and answering my kids with half-hearted responses, I wish I would have stopped what I was doing, looked them in the eye, and truly listened as they spoke. When our kids feel heard, they gain a deeper sense of security and worth. 

Engage with young adults about this issue, ask questions, be humble in your response, and offer hope that our gracious God will one day make all things new and right all wrongs.

Knowing the lies and truth about the roles of men can give more purpose and peace, however. Here are five lies men believe about their roles in the family.

The most healthy way we can see ourselves with our kids is as their parents, a role superior to just friends. It's a role that looks like shared joy, guidance, respect, unconditional love, and correction, and when our kids leave the nest, it mostly looks like being our kid's number one fan as they move through life. Here are some ways we can invest in creating a robust relationship with our kids as their friend and parent.

Parents and adult children have unique relationships with each other, and they should be aware of one another's boundaries. 

The lies I believed exacerbated my feelings of inadequacy and stifled my joy. If you’re mothering your children with the lead weight of lies dragging you down—or if you know someone who is—combat each deception with truth from God’s Word.

Who is Gen Alpha? What are their attributes, and what does that mean for what’s next? Here are six cultural markers that distinguish today's children from earlier generations, and what that means for the future of Christianity.

These are deep topics for kids to understand, so consider Lent a time to introduce them to these concepts. Depending on their ages, it may be as simple as beginning to help them understand what sin is or as complex as teaching the theology behind many of the observations during Lent.

One of the most powerful things we can do as parents is to teach our kids God’s Word, to help them learn how to hide His Truths in their hearts.