Parenting Struggles and What They Teach

Now that my boys are grown, I’m looking back at that part of life as a wonderful time. I really loved being a dad. Sure, there were challenging moments, but the rewards of parenting have always far outweighed the difficulties. In fact, a lot of our memories were joyous. Many were centered around laughter.

It’s important for families to keep a sense of humor and laugh with each other.

In that spirit, I have some fun stories for you to hear on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Parenting Struggles and What They Teach.”

Our guest, author Ken Swarner, is throwing his family under the bus … with their permission, of course. He’s sharing humorous stories about raising children that point toward lighthearted spiritual lessons about humility and trusting God.

Ken’s book, Why Did God Give My Kids Free Will? He Could’ve Waited Until They Moved Out, is all about how God uses parental mishaps to draw us closer to Him.

Like the time Ken’s wife took their son to the pediatrician for a physical. The nurse told him to remove his clothing except socks and underwear. When he took of his shoes, he was wearing dirty, stinky socks with holes in them. When he took off his socks, his feet were equally sour. And then came the underwear.

I’ll let Ken finish the story, but his point is that struggle is part of human nature. It is the challenges we confront, not comfort, that fosters personal and spiritual growth.

Join us for our program on your local radio station, online, on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, via Google Podcasts, or take us with you on our free phone app.

Ken Swarner’s book Why Did God Give My Kids Free Will? He Could’ve Waited Until They Moved Out is available for a gift of any amount as our way of saying thank you for touching others with the love of Christ. For more information, click here or call 1-800-A-FAMILY (232-6459).