“It’s just like an American to think you invented the family.”

That’s what Dr. Lilian Wahomey, a psychologist in Kenya, jokingly said to me over lunch one day. I met with her almost 25 years ago to explore ways Focus on the Family could come alongside families in Africa.

I asked, “Do you think a focus on marriage and parenting is be relevant in this part of the world?”

With a friendly smile, she reminded me that the core needs of marriages and families transcend language, culture, nationality, and socio-economic status.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 10, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

That verse, Genesis 2:24, is usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.

The verse declares that a man will leave his father and mother. It assumes that our children will leave home as adults, not as children who must then set out on a journey to become grownups on their own.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 4, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

For a stronger marriage, ask yourself, “What’s my EQ?”

While your IQ is a measure of your intelligence, your EQ is a measure of your “emotional intelligence.”

That term was coined in 1995 by Daniel Goleman, who first applied the concept to businessmen and women. As he defined it, emotional intelligence is the degree to which you are able to make healthy relational choices based on your understanding of your emotions and those around you. The concept eventually spilled outside of the business world into other arenas.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage May 24, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura