family Archives

Four Ways Failing Marriages and Healthy Marriages Look the Same

If a couple in your church was headed for divorce, would anyone be able to see it coming before it was too late?

Chances are less likely than you might think, according to a new study that Focus on the Family sponsored through LifeWay Research. The study found that in the three months leading up to divorce, churchgoing couples in troubled marriages show similar levels of involvement as those in healthy marriages in four areas:

Attend church once a week or more
Involvement in a small group
Serve in community ministries
Hold positions of responsibility at church

What’s even more astounding is that nearly one-third of churchgoers who divorced never told anyone in their congregation that they were experiencing marital problems.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, husband, marriage, wife November 3, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Successfully Blend Your Family

If you made a list of all the things in your life you never thought would happen, situations you never could never have imagined yourself being in, what would you write down?

For some of you, picking up the broken pieces of your life and starting over again with a blended family might be at the top of that list.

This new chapter of life may have come about through death or divorce or some other circumstance, but the challenge is the same: how to overcome the difficulties common to blended families and to give this new part of your life its best chance to thrive.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, divorce, family, marriage October 29, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Answering the Tough Questions Your Kids Ask

Kids sure come up with a lot of fun questions – like the little boy who asked his mom, “Was everything in black and white in the olden days?” Or the little girl who really wanted to know where the light goes when you turn off the switch.

But sometimes the questions children ask are tough and quite serious, like “Why does God allow bad things to happen?”, “Why do people get sick and die?”, or “Why are there things like war?”

Those kinds of inquiries aren’t easy to answer, and they usually come out of left field when parents least expect them.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids, parenting October 27, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Are Schools Cancelling Recess?

Some elementary schools across the nation are banning recess.

Why?

So kids can have more formal instruction time in class.

Limiting recess is just one example of what’s being done in the interest of giving teachers more time to teach. For example, we’re seeing children being introduced to formal academics earlier and earlier.

One teacher described it like this: “Kindergarten is now first grade, and first grade is now second grade.”

Kids are also coming home with more homework than in years past.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, kids, parenting, pop culture October 21, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Talk with Young Children about Death

When a beloved friend or family member is battling a terminal illness, sometimes the littlest ones can get lost in the shuffle. Yet, even 3-year-olds can experience fear and confusion when it comes to prolonged sickness and death.

That’s why today I want to share with you four points from Focus on the Family counselors to help parents navigate issues associated with the illness and death of a loved one with their preschoolers and children in early elementary school.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting October 14, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Three Ways to Succeed in Life

It’s Monday.

For a lot of us, that means a new week filled with possibilities for all that we can go out into the world and achieve.

But some people don’t see opportunity for what they can do. Their primary focus is all about what other people can do for them.

They live their lives with a sense of entitlement. They seem to think they deserve something for nothing from the people around them simply because they exist and live on this planet.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family October 12, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Watch Focus’ New Commercial Airing on Fox News

Focus’ second-ever “Bring Your Bible to School Day” will be here this Thursday, Oct. 8. It’s a day for public school students from kindergarten to college to celebrate their religious freedom and to share the hope they’ve found with their friends.

Today, tomorrow and Wednesday we’re running a commercial on the Fox News Channel to help raise awareness of this wonderful event. Here’s a preview of the ad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qi9J-gRelSM

We hope you’ll share this commercial on your social media sites because there’s still time to sign up!

Topics: Focus Events Tags: events, family, promos, religious liberty October 5, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Dr. John Trent’s Secret to Raising Great Kids

If you’ve just recently discovered our ministry, welcome to Focus on the Family.

As our longtime friends will agree, if you explore our websites, read our magazines, or listen to our radio programs, you’ll find a wealth of practical, everyday advice for parents – things like strategies for effective discipline and tips for helping kids thrive with their siblings or at school.

But there may be no more important wisdom we share with parents than the kind of topic we’ll be talking about on our broadcast today.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids, parenting October 2, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Trusting God In the Goodbyes

During a recent trip to Pennsylvania, I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda Pietrocola. Ms. Pietrocola and her family are friends of the ministry, and last summer she attended our Boundless conference. Amanda shared with me that she and her family had recently fostered two young girls. Their story provides a good snapshot of the realities associated with foster care. It’s rarely the neat and tidy Hollywood screenplay. While we enthusiastically champion foster care, we also think it’s important to paint an accurate picture of the challenges associated with the ministry.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, pro-life September 18, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Teaching Good Manners to Your Kids

Sometimes parents think of a child’s manners in the most basic of terms, like table etiquette or how polite they are when guests come to the house. But the benefits don’t end there. Manners actually equip your children for success in their adult life.

To that end, a few years back, my wife and I enrolled our boys, Trent and Troy, in something called Cotillion. It’s all about teaching manners and preparing kids to interact with others as maturing young men and women.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting September 17, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura