Daly Focus Blog
One writer called grandparenting the greatest job on earth, handed to you wrapped in a blanket.
That description might have something to do with the grandparenting stereotypes we’re all familiar with. It’s all the fun with none of the responsibility. You get to spoil your grandchildren with questionable levels of fun and sugar, then send them home to their parents.
There may be some truth to that perception, but grandparents can do much more than just create fun memories.
A couple of weeks ago, I started my blog by saying, “Motherhood feels like the loneliest job on the planet for many women – especially for young moms who live far away from close family. They go through their days as a one-woman army, balancing work, children, and a never-ending list of responsibilities around the home.”
Moms need friendship, but many struggle to find it. Judging by a lot of moms I know, I’d guess one reason is that they struggle to find the personal time and space that would allow them to build relationships.
There’s a saying that “you’re only as sick as your secrets.”
Some secrets are fun and are part of a healthy life – like staying quiet about a surprise party or that special gift you bought for a friend. Other secrets are like a virus. They attach to the deepest, most vulnerable parts of who we are, and they eat away at us, bringing nothing but unhappiness.
That dark reality is a struggle many teen girls face every day.
This coming weekend in Richmond, Virginia, upwards of 200,000 NASCAR fans will gather at the Richmond International Raceway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and millions more will watch on television.
Detailing the event’s “play by play” for FOX Sports will be Darrell Waltrip. I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Darrell and his wife, Stevie, and I’m excited to welcome them to our program as our guests.
Darrell was one of the most successful drivers on the NASCAR circuit in the 1980s.
Over a period of two nights in 1969, seven people were murdered in their homes in the Los Angeles area.
Several of the victims were bound, and strange messages were written on the walls in their own blood. The most well-known victim was actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 ½ months pregnant. Her baby boy died in her womb.
The crimes became known as the Tate-Labianca murders and were carried out by members of the “Manson Family” at the instruction of their leader, Charles Manson, who is considered one of the most notorious murderers of the last century.
Writing about a time of deep struggle in her life, Sara Hagerty described her experience this way:
“My awareness of my infertility was as variable as the rain. Some days it was a drizzle on the backdrop of my story. Other days it was a downpour altering my whole day.”
That captures so well the emotional upheaval that often accompanies life’s difficulties.
We all go through seasons where we’re overwhelmed, the answers to our problems are hard to come by, and our faith in God is tested.
Motherhood feels like the loneliest job on the planet for many women – especially for young moms who live far away from close family. They go through their days as a one-woman army, balancing work, children, and a never-ending list of responsibilities around the home.
Generations ago, it wasn’t often like that. Daily life for women happened largely in community. Female friends, neighbors, and moms and daughters used to quilt, cook, and do their laundry together.
People get married for a lot of reasons.
They want someone to spend time with them. They want to feel appreciated. They want someone to love them. They want someone to serve them … at least occasionally (of course, no one likes to admit this one).
Do you notice what each of those ideas has in common? They’re all about what someone else can do for us.
But what if marriage isn’t primarily about any of those things?
“Christians hate gay people.”
That succinct message defined most of Caleb Kaltenbach’s childhood. He learned it from his lesbian mother … and from religious people whose behavior seemed to confirm her declaration.
While in elementary school, he marched with his mother in a gay pride parade. Along the route some protestors held up signs conveying hateful messages against homosexuals. They also sprayed water and urine on the marchers as they passed by.
When Caleb asked why people would do something like that, his mom said, “They’re Christians.
Character has been on my mind a lot lately.
As a father of two teenage sons in the final stretch of my parenting journey, I wonder how I’m doing instilling my boys with character. Am I creating conversations that teach them what’s important in life?
And as the president of a Christian ministry, I wonder how the Christian community is doing in communicating the need for character to a culture that operates largely without it.
To answer those questions, I sat down with David Brooks in Washington, D.C., for a conversation we aired a couple of days ago on our radio broadcast.
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.
