Daly Focus Blog
The empty nest years can be a “tight ring season.”
That’s a term coined by Marci Seither and her husband after a customer hired the Seithers’ sawmill in Northern California to remove a huge tree from the spot where the customer’s new home would be built.
Feeling it a shame to lose such a beautiful tree, the homeowners planned to recycle the lumber by using it in the house’s construction. Once the tree was cut down, however, the wood was determined to be too weak for use.
Every day parents face a new fork in the road of some kind. You want what’s best for your child. But it’s not always clear what is best.
Will your children thrive with more boundaries? Or more freedom?
Is your child old enough for technology? If so, what kind? And how much screen time should they be allowed?
Are their friends a good influence? Are your children a good influence on their friends?
There is no formula for parenting but there are seven traits to guide moms and dads toward:
AdaptabilityRespectIntentionalityLoveGratitudeGraceForgiveness
How can we raise our children with an approach that infuses them with godly maturity and grace for others?
To raise happy, healthy children, remember this: Rules alone won’t work.
Rules only control a child’s outer behavior. To develop a child’s inner character, you have to go deeper. Until children develop an inner motivation to do the right thing, they’ll keep sticking their toe over the line.
Like a friend of mine’s five-year-old daughter. They were playing together in the front yard. “Stay in the grass,” he told her. “Don’t step onto the sidewalk or the driveway.” The little girl looked her dad right in the eye, playfully danced to the edge of the grass … and stuck her big toe across the forbidden line.
Shelia Erwin is the mother of filmmaking duo the Erwin Brothers, known for the popular Christian films October Baby, Moms’ Night Out, and I Can Only Imagine. Her sons, Andrew and Jon, were always discovering new interests in junior high school, so Shelia wasn’t surprised when they became passionate about the visual arts.
She couldn’t foresee at the time how her boys’ newest hobby would someday blossom. Still, she and her husband Hank encouraged them however they could.
The coronavirus pandemic has been extremely difficult for all Americans for many reasons. Many have died due to the disease. Others have had friends and relatives pass away. And some have delayed or missed funerals because of social distancing and stay-at-home orders.
Yet another unfortunate consequence of the restrictions is the isolation and loneliness that many have faced.
I’ve recently learned of one such situation relayed to me by a supporter of Focus on the Family.
It’s easy to bless a child. It really is.
Not long ago, I asked my son, Troy, if he remembered the day almost ten years ago when I blessed him while we were out hiking on a camping trip. Somewhere along the trail, we stopped, I placed a hand on his shoulder, told him how important he was to me and his mother, and how much we – and God – loved him. Then I prayed over him.
Today, on our Focus on the Family Broadcast, you’re in for a special treat. We’re airing an episode of our award-winning children’s radio drama Adventures in Odyssey.
Not only are these dramas one of the best things we do here at Focus to communicate the gospel message, they’re a lot of fun, too!
This episode is titled “Hidden Gems.” The story follows young Olivia as Whit teaches her why reading the Bible is important.
Since the first national Father’s Day in 1910, dads of every generation have wondered and worried about the future world in which their children would live.
Such concern is not entirely misplaced.
If you had become a father back at the time the holiday was first celebrated at a YMCA in Spokane, Wa., your kids would have had to navigate the Spanish flu (50 million deaths), World War I (20 million deaths) and the reprise of the KKK.
Men are important to families.
Dads model character for their daughters, shaping what they will seek in a future husband. Men model for sons how to be a committed husband, a loving father, and a man of integrity who guides his family according to biblical values.
Men don’t always hit the mark, of course. They get distracted by busy careers, the hard work often required to make ends meet, or too many hobbies and toys.
Which is why every man needs to be reminded from time to time that their wives and children deserve their best.
Racism is an ugly stain on our nation’s history. And, sadly, a very present reality. On the first part of our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Facing Confrontation with Grace,” I’m speaking with Tim Scott, United States Senator for South Carolina about his perspective on racial tension in America and how we find solutions.
On the second part of the program, we’re sharing a conversation with author Deborah Pegues discussing biblical ways of handling confrontation.
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.
