One of the most heartbreaking letters I’ve read was from a grown woman who wrote to Focus and recounted the divorce of her parents when she was a little girl. Her dad told her, “Your mom and I aren’t capable of being together, so I’m leaving. But I’ll always be there for you. I’ll see you on weekends. I’ll see you on your birthday.”
She never saw her dad again.
That father made a lot of promises, and never kept one. His daughter spent the next twenty years struggling to overcome the loss or her father, her family, and in many ways, her sense of identity.
When tough situations happen to children – as they inevitably will – our response can either help them or hinder them.
Dr. Kevin Leman, our guest on today’s program, can attest to that. He didn’t have a good GPA in school and was never supposed to amount to anything.
But one day a teacher pulled Kevin aside and asked him if he could use his skills as the class clown for something positive in life. That was the first and only time a teacher had suggested that he had skills of any kind.
She told him, “I’ve seen you take over a class. What if you used that ability for something positive?”
All of these years later, Dr. Leman says that he remembers the encouraging words of his teacher every time he speaks in front of thousands of people. She was the first to believe that he had something of value to offer.
Dr. Leman will give you the tools to help your children negotiate life’s curveballs on the Focus on the Family Broadcast “Supporting Your Kids When Life Is Tough,” on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.
Every month, thousands of parents call or write Focus on the Family for help, and your support makes it possible for us to answer those requests. The best way to come alongside the ministry is through a monthly pledge, which helps us to budget and to better manage our limited resources.
And for a gift of any amount, we’ll send you a copy of Dr. Leman’s book When Your Kid Is Hurting: Helping Your Child Through the Tough Days as our way of saying thank you for standing with us to help those who are in need. (Check our website for details.)
We’ve also got a free parenting assessment for you at our website. It will quickly give you an overview of how your family is doing in several key areas, and offer some suggestions on how you can improve the relationships in your home.
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