Daly Focus Blog
Dad, don’t let your teenage daughter fool you. She needs you. I know her attitude may not always reflect that, but it’s true. She’s caught in a whirlwind of hormones and emotional upheaval. Her self-worth is under attack, and her social world is topsy-turvy. On top of that, she’s physically growing, changing, and feeling awkward. With you. With everybody.
Over the next few years, your daughter’s attitude will tempt you to disengage from her, to keep her at arm’s length.
November is National Adoption Month.
In the United States, there are nearly 400,000 children in the foster care system whose parents cannot safely care for them. These children need someone who will house them and provide for their basic needs.
Addressing this issue is not easy because foster care is not easy. Consider that the process always begins with a child losing a home and a family. Nevertheless, God is present in the midst of confusion.
What would you say are the most crucial ingredients to human survival? Food? Water? Shelter? Equally important is the need for hope.
The Jewish Holocaust was one of the darkest periods in human history. Over six million people were murdered in German concentration camps. Millions more barely survived horrific conditions of disease, abuse, and starvation. The misery was unbearable.
When the Allies liberated camps throughout Europe, they were shocked by what they found among the gas chambers and mass graves – drawings, writings, sheets of music, all created by prisoners.
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?
It’s not if you want a stress-free holiday season.
Social media raises our expectations to overwhelming levels. Instead of peace and joy, we feel pressure to transform our homes into Christmas wonderlands. Instead of peace and joy, Christmas becomes a time of stress and “stuff” for many of us, each day filled with lights, decorations, shopping, parties, or family get-togethers.
It’s all wonderful, but it also inhibits us from reflecting more deeply on the hope of Christmas – our Savior.
I’ve heard that if couples are married long enough, they start to look like one another. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I think couples do often look like the other couples they hang out with.
It may feel more comfortable to be friends with someone who’s just like you, but you’re depriving your marriage of a great chance to grow. Maybe the couple you spend the most time with is also newly married, or is raising teenagers, or is retired.
Few experiences are as comforting and connecting as a family gathered around the Thanksgiving table. Fellowship with family and giving thanks to God for His many blessings is something we look forward to in the Daly household every year.
But the holidays weren’t like that for me growing up. My mother died when I was young, and my stepfather abandoned me and my siblings, so Thanksgiving was anything but a peaceful family holiday. Mostly I remember feeling disconnected from everything that was happening around me.
Did you know:
55% of married Christian men look at porn monthly.
1 in 10 view porn daily.
71% of those who view 7+ hours of porn weekly report some kind of sexual dysfunction.
More than half (56%) of divorce cases involve a spouse having an obsession with pornographic websites.
Mark and Rosie Makinney’s family was nearly destroyed by the poison of pornography. They now help other couples discover the good news that God can heal, restore, and redeem anyone who turns to Him for help.
Author and pastor Ted Cunningham says, “Social media is a place where people share their opinions without sticking around for the conversation.”
He’s right. A lot of people like to share what they think, but not many will listen to what you think. Watch closely to how people interact with you, and you’ll see what I mean. Do they ask questions to better understand your point of view? And when you answer, do they really listen?
Raising teenagers can be both exciting and stressful. There’s a lot going on in their lives. They’re learning how to manage their own thoughts, feelings. and identities apart from mom and dad.
Developmentally, that’s a good thing. But in many families, a teenager’s struggle for independence becomes a tug-of-war with parents who take their authority seriously.
Effective communication with a teenager can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to navigate conflict, emotional triggers, disrespect, and even a few slammed doors.
Do you practice “everyday generosity”?
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Modeling Generosity for Your Children,” father-and-son team Brad and Drew Formsma explain how to use your time, talent, and influence to infuse your children with a spirit of generosity that they’ll carry into their adult years.
They’ll share how to be generous with:
In a “me-focused” culture, our children can develop an other-centered attitude that expresses Christ’s love through simple acts of kindness.
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.
