Ever notice how “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” comes with “some assembly required”? Parents are often overwhelmed by the expectations of their children. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Read moreGive Your Kids the Gift of Boredom
You can help your kids shift from complaining to being glad for an opportunity with “nothing” to do. A small amount of planning can go a long way to teaching them how to figure out ways to make use of the hours of potential boredom in ways that will stretch their minds, engage their imagination, build relationships, and expand their souls.
Read morePrime Time For Read Alouds
Summer is ideal for reading aloud to your children, whatever their ages. Here are strategies to make it simple and more fun. A big key is what you choose to read.
Read moreMommy, Let Me Help You!
What do you say when your kids ask you if they can help? That’s a daily dilemma for busy moms whose kids long to jump in with unskilled hands and clumsy feet. It's rarely, if ever, efficient to say yes. It’s so much easier to just do it yourself. It’s faster and more certain it will be done right. Or at least the way you like it. But if you always choose the efficient and effective way, you may miss out on some of the most vital windows of instruction.
Read moreMaternity is Not about Me
“You’ll need proof. Can you get a copy of the death certificate?” I remember the awkwardness of trying to answer that question while booking last-minute plane tickets to North Carolina for my father-in-law’s funeral. Who would fake their dad’s death just to get a discount—and not a very good one at that—on airfare?
Read moreThe Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving Secret
It’s good to remember the 1621 Pilgrims of Plymouth, but I suspect they would tell us to look back even further to the source of their thanksgiving. How was it that a small band of believers was able to give thanks when they encountered financial loss, bitter weather, and inadequate food; when half their number died, when they subsisted that first winter on a handful of dried corn kernels each day, when they didn’t know if any would live to see the spring?
Read moreGood News, Your Kids are Average
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“Everybody thinks their kids are above average. But it can’t possibly be that way because it defies the category of average.” So said one of our friends, a father of eight. It's a needed corrective in our day of hyper-parenting, but no reason to set low expectations for your offspring. I didn't always feel that way about his observation. I tell the story of my change of heart in "Most of Our Children are Average." Here's a snippet:
Just because our kids are average, he says, “doesn’t mean they’re mediocre, or that they need to live a life of mediocrity. It just means we don’t need to bloat their ego or increase their narcissism.”
How then should we parent? How do we encourage our children to be good stewards, to work hard and to do their best in a way that’s not ego-centric? Paul tells us in Colossians 3:17, 23-24, And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. . . . Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.
We must shift their focus from themselves to God and shift their motivation from self-glory to God’s glory. If your children have an interest or talent that sets them apart from their peers, thank God for it. And teach your children to do the same. Then encourage them to develop that skill to serve others. Everything they have is from the Lord. Nothing is theirs by their own doing. They (and you) have no reason to boast (1 Cor. 4:7). In fact, the expectation is higher, not for greater success, but for more faithful stewardship. To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48).
Read the full article at ERLC.com.
Blessings of family
Forming a family, raising children, being faithful in the daily tasks of home keeping and baby nourishing can feel draining. But there is hidden treasure in the making. Here is a moving reminder of the real wealth in family relationships: Watch this video