Daly Focus Blog
One of the greatest challenges a parent can face is an adult child who rejects the values they were taught growing up. It’s tough to watch a child turn away from honesty, kindness and good character in favor of lies, selfishness and unwise choices. You may even wonder where you went wrong as a parent. Let me encourage you with a few ideas:
The first is to recognize that your child’s decisions are not your fault, at least not entirely.
President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. comes in the wake of the capital city’s horrific spike in crime.
Despite claims to the contrary, the 68 square miles on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia hasn’t been a safe place to be for a long time. Anyone who has been there recently can attest to the area’s problems. When it comes to what he sees outside the White House windows and when driving by in his motorcade, President Trump didn’t mince his words.
“[Washington, D.C.] has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore,” declared Mr.
Every day Focus on the Family hears from good people who have faced difficult, even tragic, life circumstances, people who feel haunted by disturbing memories and who endure life with a sense of agony and desperation.
According to statistics, more people today are exposed to traumatic circumstances than past generations:
Over two-thirds of people experience a traumatic event by the age of 16 years old.
More than 70% of people report experiencing at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.
When Kim Meeder was a child, she considered her father something of a superhero. He didn’t wear a cape, fly, or leap tall buildings, but there wasn’t much else she felt he couldn’t do. As for her mother, she was the most beautiful and loving woman in the world, and Kim wanted to grow up to be just like her.
But when Kim was nine years old, she lost both her mom and dad in a horrific tragedy that shattered her heart.
I love summer. When my boys were younger, that meant camping with my family. We loved getting outdoors and parking our fifth wheel in some remote location where the sounds of nature aren’t drowned out by cars and busyness.
When there was a lake nearby, the first thing my boys would do is grab rocks to throw into the water. The bigger the better. For them, it was all about the splash. Me? I was intrigued by the ripples.
Technology is making life more and more convenient, but it’s also making the pace of life faster and faster. I don’t believe it’s God’s plan for us to be running full speed all the time. We need rest. Even Jesus took time to rest. He withdrew to quiet places (Matthew 14:13) and communed with His Father.
We should do the same. But how? How do we slow down and enjoy God, our families, and our daily lives more.
Howard and Danielle Taylor’s relationship is evidence that a biblical understanding of the purpose for marriage is the best foundation for weathering the rough seasons of life.
Danielle didn’t grow up in the church and Howard was raised without a dad. Both adopted unhealthy cycles of relationship they’d learned from their parents. The result was not harmony and intimacy, but arguments, stress and conflict.
Over time, they learned new patterns of relating and communicating with each other, all rooted in a biblical understanding of marriage.
Mom and dad, what are you doing to help your children develop maturity? It’s a question worth answering because children don’t develop maturity on their own. They have to be taught.
To that end, my wife and I enrolled our boys, Trent and Troy, in something called Cotillion. It’s all about teaching manners and preparing kids to interact with others as mature young men and women. The boys were apprehensive, but I assured them, “Don’t worry, guys.
Last month, Colorado’s governor signed legislation that could be heading toward your state soon. The bill funnels government dollars toward elective abortions through Medicaid. The fiscal note attached to the bill claims that such actions will save money for the state because it’s “cheaper to abort children than pay for that baby to be born.”
That kind of callous attitude toward life ignores the value of the baby and fails to recognize the damage abortion does to women – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It’s been over 50 years since my mom died. All I have are a handful of photographs. I don’t have audio recordings or home movies of her, unfortunately, so I don’t remember the sound of her voice anymore. But I do recall many of the things mom said to me – things that positively influenced my direction through life and shaped the man I’ve become. I’d like to share a few of them with you.
First she’d tell me, “It’ll be okay.” Life wasn’t easy for my mom, but somehow she always saw the glass as half-full.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
