Equipping Parents for The Journey
It’s back to school season in North Texas. This time of year has always been filled with some level of fear and anxiety. How could it not be, with new schools, new teachers, new programs, new rules . . . So much "new" is hard for anyone. But the start of the 2021–2022 school...
As Christians, service is in our DNA. We are instructed to love God with our whole heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves, which often happens through serving one another. In a consumer culture like ours, how can we as parents teach our kids to have servant hearts? This week on the blog,...
Is there a fine line between parenting with grace and parenting with rules and consequences for behavior? As parents it is all too easy to jump with our first reaction and not take a minute to evaluate the situation. But this week, we are exploring the idea of parenting with grace. Parenting by...
While most families have some type of shared responsibility system, it is common to need a little tune up or reinforcement from time to time. We have talked about two concepts: 1) establishing routines and 2) engaging everyone in the operation of the family. This week we have produced a free resource for you...
Our family schedules went from busy and over-packed to blank over night. The first few days were great. We retreated to our homes to get some extra rest, baking and watching movies, and it felt almost idyllic. But now a couple months into sheltering in place, school at home, and and activity limitations, the...
It seems the world has been turned upside down. But one thing we can count on is that your new baby will still need to be fed, changed, snuggled, and loved. Even if you have been a parent for a long time, and your baby is no longer a baby, there is good advice...
I used to be so cool! I drove a sports car. My wife and I would eat out all the time. I was in really great-ish shape. Saturday mornings, I would sleep in. It seemed like we were doing too many fun things, but this was before we had kids. Before having kids, I...
It’s a new year, and while most people don’t really support the idea of resolutions, we usually like the idea of reviewing your goals, priorities, and plans for the year. Over the holidays, my family had lots of discussions at the dinner table about what we want to focus on and what we hope...
Staci was a natural talent. She could sing before she could talk. When she was four years old, her family was watching TV together. Soon after they watched a particular commercial, they heard the same jingle coming from the piano in the next room. Pre-kindergarten Staci accurately played the jingle instinctively. She obviously had...
Busy school days and fall activities are in full swing. Your days are busy working, running to and from school, carting kids to sports and music lessons, running errands, packing lunches, and maybe even a little house cleaning. Having dinner together as a family right now can seem like an overwhelming sense of obligation,...
When I think about praying for our kids as they go back to school, so many things pop into my mind. I can pray for: Good grades Good study habits Good behavior with teachers and friends Good friends But I wonder if this is really what I need to be praying for them. Is...
I think we can all agree that there are times when we LOVE our children, but maybe don’t LIKE our children. I won’t lie to you, it’s a bit weird to admit this in public, but I have caught myself on several occasions saying to my sons, “You are making it really hard for...
