Fewer things influence our children more than the people they hang out with, their friends. Friendships have a powerful impact. Kids want to go where their friends want to go, do what their friends do, and think the way their friends think. Knowing the impact friends have on our children, you would think parents would want to be more proactive in the “friend selection process.” I can hear a parent groaning, “I’d love to help select who my kids befriend; but where do I begin? My kids are so private about their friends.” Friendships are environmental. Whether it is physical […]

With the rapid influx of communication technology, it is more necessary than ever before for parents to make decisions for their children. Picture this: Parents need a babysitter for the evening and ask a stranger to watch their child.  “No way,” you scream!  Let us continue: a stranger knocks on your front door and says, “I’m here to sit in your teen’s bedroom and talk to them…alone.”  Not a chance!  But this is happening and parents aren’t even aware of it. Technology in the form of Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. is not the problem itself but rather the doorway.  The […]

In the Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life”, we get to follow the adult trials and the childhood experiences of George.  Each time he faced a difficult situation he asked himself the same question: “What would Dad do?”  Somehow George picked up lessons from his dad that helped him navigate life and become a community hero. What about our children?  What are they learning from us? Times are different right now and different times require a different approach to life.  But different, even difficult times, offer parents an incredible training opportunity. Everyone will go through their own difficulties in life.  […]

As children watch the children of Haiti, they need help processing the tragedy. They ask, “Mom, why did this happen?” But the real question on their minds is “Could this happen to us?” Tragedy is a horrible part of this world, but tragedy is also a reality. Yes, it could happen to any of us, in various ways. That’s why we don’t trust in anything other than God. Children need the opportunity to talk about the Haiti tragedy. Our children need to be taught to pray for the children of Haiti, as they are pointed toward God for their faith […]

Sandra Bullock, starring in the movie The Blind Side, made an amazing statement during an interview. Speaking about the Christian mom she portrayed, Bullock confessed, “I finally got to see someone who actually lives what they believe.” “I finally got to see” – Those are very indicting words. In this true story, Bullock plays the role of a foster mom whose faith compelled her to adopt a boy from the streets. This mom lived out her faith in her home, for the boy and for all of us, including the actress, to see. As so often happens, the story behind […]

If you are a parent, January isn’t really the beginning of your child’s year. It’s halftime. Your family year begins in August, as the children start school and all their other activities. The question is this: What do you do with halftime? What do coaches do with halftime? Do they take the players into the locker room and celebrate that they are almost over with the game? Do they just relax before going back on the field? No! Leaders of the team make adjustments, and that’s exactly what the first weeks in January are for, making the necessary evaluations and […]

Have your kids caught the virus? It’s the most contagious and one of the most dangerous viruses a person can catch, and it is “heir-born.” Most of our culture has it. Are your kids negative and ungrateful? Sometimes, kids can be that way because they’re still children. But, many times they act ungrateful because they are very impressionable. It doesn’t take much to cave into the impressions that this culture perpetuates that more is better. They can catch it from the culture but they can also learn it from their parents. The virus of ingratitude is caught in homes where […]