By Featured Guest: Mary DeMuth In a world of Halo, iphones, and IM, how do parents strategically engage their tuned-out kids? How can we create the kinds of homes that are irresistible to our children, enticing enough to make them tune out from games, media and texting and tune in to the rhythms of family life? Five ways. One: Offer ‘em Something Better The most enticing thing to a kid is community—real, authentic, God-breathed community. To create this, learn to do the following: Say you’re sorry when you’re wrong and ask forgiveness. Strive to become the person you want your …
Rest
And on the seventh day God rested. Hebrews 4:4 My mother passed away ten minutes before Easter, April 11, 2009. To say I was close to my mother is an understatement. We spoke on the phone daily. She taught my son Latin; I took her to Disney World. Even during my tumultuous teen years, Mom and I were tight. I was there at her side with my stepdad Easter eve. We had to tell the EMTs to stop the CPR and let her accept heaven’s beckon. Life hiccupped but kept moving. My daily tears ceased after about a week, and …
A Mentor’s Role
Mentors, sometimes intentionally – often unknowingly, plant seeds of wisdom in the hearts of others. They teach with their lives. They are natural nurturers. Their very existence causes us to consider our own existence and to ponder the path of our feet. Mentors are heart shapers and life changers – not necessarily because they walk through a book with someone for a few weeks, but because they walk through life with someone for a season. In a world where young women desperately need to experience Titus 2 in real life, mentors are often hard to find. Perhaps not because women …
“Teacher Trouble: P.T.A. Assignment”
They take backpacks filled with folders, pencils, and hopes for a great year. When conversations begin creating a picture of your child’s school year, you may discover you’re assigned something you didn’t request. You may be scheduled for “teacher trouble.” “How could anyone be unkind to my child?” we wonder. “Why are they so harsh?” we ask. And “That didn’t seem like a professional way to handle that,” we mutter. We try to think positively, be understanding, and let the year get started. But once underway, parents may find they have, indeed, been signed up for “teacher trouble”. How do …
5 Ways to Help Kids Set & Fulfill Goals
As we enter a new year we find ourselves reflecting on where we’ve been and looking forward to where we hope to go. We make plans, develop lists and chart a course for the coming year. But what about our kids? Do you help your children set goals and then help them fulfill them? Do you help your children set goals and then help them fulfill them? Click To Tweet I remember when I was teaching my son to read more proficiently and I gave him his first real book. It was My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George. It wasn’t really …
Taming Your Toddler’s TV
It buys time to make dinner, but it can take over our toddler’s day if we aren’t careful. TV watching is an easy trap, but we can kick the habit and find meaningful ways to occupy our children. It seems impossible to fill a toddler’s day, but we can grow bright and busy toddlers without “plugging them in.” A 2010 University of Quebec study reported that 2 ½ yr. olds who watched TV have increased risks of health and learning issues. Additional hours of viewing directly corresponded with decreases in engagement and comprehension. The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages limits …
5 Things Successful Moms Do Right
Over the years I have observed and interviewed numerous moms whose children have grown into godly adults, all of who serve the Lord, whether as a stay-at-home mom, in full time ministry or in a secular vocation. While this is not a scientifically based observation, I was able to narrow their success down to twenty common traits. Here are the first five of those twenty. #1 She gets into her child’s WORLD “You will always be your child’s favorite toy.” — Vicki Lansky One of the greatest gifts you can give your child is your time. For your little ones, …
Seven Insider Tips for Pioneer Parents
By Featured Guest: Mary E. DeMuth Adapted from Building the Christian Family You Never Had (WaterBrook, 2006) Some of us grew up in stable, Christ-loving homes. Others did not. What happens when people from difficult upbringings want to raise their children in a Christian home? How do we pioneer a new path for our children? Pioneer Parents are parents who don’t want to duplicate the homes they were raised in. They share many common traits, the most common being fear. They ask themselves questions like: Will the hurtful words my parents said to me fly out of my mouth in …
A Box of Chocolate & A Bubble Bath
This past fall, my oldest child, Kyle, entered his junior year of high school. As a homeschooler, I’m a bit anxious about it. Ok, I’m a lot anxious about it! “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way,” according to 1 Corinthians 14:40 (NIV). Paul’s referring to regulations for speaking in tongues. (By the look on my kids’ faces, sometimes they think I’m doing just that!) However, it’s also good advice for teaching. Problem is, I struggle to do anything in a fitting and orderly way. Recently, I carried a basket of clean laundry to my bedroom, where …
Getting Over the Homeschool Holiday Hump
It happened every year. Thanksgiving and Christmas would loom largely over our homeschool plans and as we began to shut things down for the holidays and take a break from class. We loved the time we had together during those precious days – the only problem was that once the holidays were gone and we launched into the new year, we always had a hard time getting back on the homeschool track. Every year we were on three good months into school when the fun and festivities of all the holidays seemed to derail our well laid plans. Definitely not …