Church Blog (Page 8)

• • • • • Parenting Tip May 15, 2014 Honor Defined in Practical Terms Children need to know what Godly character looks like in practical terms. We love the character quality of honor, not just because God commands it, but also because it has so much rich meaning for parents and children. It can give direction in many of the frustrating moments we experience in family life. In fact, every form of selfishness has an honor-based solution. Honor means……

• • • • • Parenting Tip May 8, 2014 An Indirect Approach to Sibling Conflict One great way to challenge the sibling conflict problems in a household is to play games with your children. Games are miniature scenarios about real life. Whether you’re playing a board game, a card game, or some kind of communication or role playing game, children have to use relational skills. Playing games can teach children how to win, how to lose, how to show…

• • • • • Parenting Tip April 29, 2014 Helping Kids Deal with Emotions Many families ignore emotions or view them as a nuisance. But emotions affect children more than they realize. One of the keys to helping children understand emotions is to teach them the difference between the feeling and the response. It’s okay to feel sad, but that doesn’t justify treating people unkindly. When Joel was thirteen, his dog, Skippy, died. Joel had raised Skippy from a…

• • • • • Parenting Tip April 25, 2014 Keep Connections Open Some of the ways parents relate to their children work against emotional closeness. Be careful not to undermine your own efforts with actions that close your child’s heart. Here are a few examples of things to avoid: 1. Using anger as discipline. Angry responses, sarcasm, and mean words may seem justified at the moment, but they do more harm than good. Anger builds walls in family life.…

• • • • • Parenting Tip April 12, 2014 Strong-Willed Children are a Blessing There’s a lot of talk about strong-willed kids. These children know what they want and are not easily deterred. They’re often driven, inflexible, and know how others should fit into their plans. They have the determination to face resistance, even if that resistance is some kind of authority in their lives. The reality is that these kids will likely be leaders in the future, and…

• • • • • Parenting Tip April 5, 2014 Parenting Babies Parenting is a complicated job with very few easy answers. When parents try to simplify it by setting policies they think will last for years, they are making a serious mistake. One mom said about her one-month-old son, “I’m going to stop the teenage rebellion right here.” She proceeded to set some pretty strict rules about feeding and sleep times. An important thing to understand about children is…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 24, 2014 Emotional Cues Since the heart is where decisions are formed, commitments made, and beliefs established, your child’s emotions become an opportunity for parenting. Look for ways to use your children’s emotions to help you understand their hearts. Many parents are afraid of their children’s emotions and try to minimize them. It’s true that one parental responsibility is to help our children manage their feelings effectively. But, contrary to popular belief,…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 14, 2014 Dealing with Morning Dawdling Mornings can be a stressful time for families. One single mom told how she addressed this for her children, ages 9, 10, and 11. “I didn’t like what I was seeing in me. I heard myself nagging and prodding them along, yelling, “You’re going to be late. You better hurry and brush your hair.” “Get your shoes on.” So she gathered the children together one evening…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 8, 2014 Be Firm Without Being Harsh Some parents believe that the only way to be firm is to be harsh. Firmness says that a boundary is secure and won’t be crossed without a consequence. Harshness uses angry words and increased volume to make children believe that parents mean what they say. Some parents have assumed that firmness and harshness must go together. One mom said, “The thought of separating the two…

• • • • • Parenting Tip February 25, 2014 Teaching Children to Look for Ways to Help We love to teach about honor. One of the parts of our honor definition is that we do more than what’s expected. That means seeing what needs to be done and doing it. It means solving problems instead leaving them for others. One family had a sign in their kitchen that read: If it’s broken, fix it. If it’s empty, fill it…