Teach Children to Take a Break
• • • • • Parenting Tip September 19, 2012 Teach Children to Take a Break When you begin to see a bad attitude or hear that manipulative whining voice, have your child take a Break. With young children, as young as two or three years old, have them sit in a particular place, a chair, a carpet square, the hallway, or a bottom step. For older children, you might send them to the parent’s room or to…
Will Work 4 Socks
WILL WORK 4 SOCKS Each year our youth group participates in an activity called “Faith in Action.” They join forces with other youth groups to collect and distribute supplies to the homeless in the Houston area. Our target goal is to serve 500 people in need. This year, the League City youth group is in charge of collecting 1,000 pairs of socks (enough for 2 pairs for each person in need), 500 tubes of Chap Stick, and 100 tote…
Other Leaders and Authorities
• • • • • Parenting Tip September 12, 2012 Other Leaders and Authorities During the early elementary years, children usually begin to develop interests and attend activities outside the home. The circle of leadership in your child’s life will broaden as you enroll your child in sports, music, and other programs. In these situations your child will learn to respond to different cues, limits, and forms of correction from other leaders and authorities. Most children need help knowing how…
I Didn’t Cry…
I Didn’t Cry… I wasn’t real sure how I was going to react when it came time to leave Shelby at college. I tend to get choked up when it comes to things like this, which is a bit ironic. I mean, I’m usually upbeat and have no problem talking. In fact, I’m sure I’ve heard more than one person in my life mutter under their breath, “Man, he never shuts up.” I’m kidding, but admit it; you may have…
Be Careful of Reverse Psychology
• • • • • Parenting Tip September 7, 2012 Be Careful of Reverse Psychology Parents continue to look for ways to get their young children to cooperate. One of the methods some parents use is called “reverse psychology.” It often works, but can have dangerous side effects. When the two-year-old doesn’t want to eat his sandwich, Mom may say in a playful voice, “Don’t take a bite of your sandwich while I’m gone.” When she returns and finds that…
What Would You Give for a Doughnut?
PUSHUPS FOR DOUGHNUTS It’s been a dozen years since I first taught this lesson to a youth group. It’s been a couple thousand years since it was originally presented to mankind. Here is how it unfolds… I begin by asking a student if they would like a doughnut. They usually accept. That’s when I ask one of their peers (who has agreed beforehand) if they were willing to do 10 pushups so that the student can have a doughnut. He…
Family Camp Out
Family Camp-Out (The following is a guest article written by Hope Gibson) The League City church of Christ would like to invite all those who are interested in a fun-filled weekend of camping pleasure and family fun to the Huntsville State Park on December 14, 15, & 16, 2012. League City church of Christ has hosted family campout weekends over the last 11 plus years. It is always a joy to spend time with our family and grow closer…
The Real Value of Learning to Obey
• • • • • Parenting Tip August 30, 2012 The Real Value of Learning To Obey Children need to learn to obey, but not merely to make their parents’ lives easier. We don’t teach kids to obey for our own convenience. We teach obedience because hidden within that character quality are a number of principles that will help children to be successful in life. When kids learn obedience, they learn to consider the needs of others. They learn to…
Be a Friend!
I hope you have noticed that we have made a change to the title of our efforts on the 9th, from “Bring a Friend” to “BE a Friend.” It was, hopefully, more than cosmetic or semantic. Our purpose for the day is two-fold: First, we want it to dovetail with Apple Tree Program, to show our children that they have a friend here (not just through prayer). Second, we want to make our friends / community aware that they have…
Help Children Change Their Hearts
• • • • • Parenting Tip August 23, 2012 Help Children Change Their Hearts Too often parents focus only on behavior, getting the right actions down, but they don’t address the heart. Jesus criticized the Pharisees, saying that they looked good on the outside but their hearts were still not changed. He said, “First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.” Focusing on behavior change is not enough. Many parents…