family Archives

How to Prepare for Middle School

If you’re the parent of a middle schooler, I have a suggestion for you: buckle up.

This may be the most tumultuous time in childhood.

It’s like a prism that focuses a remarkable amount of life change into a short time span. Our two boys are smack in the center of their middle school years, so we’re witnessing it firsthand.

The physical, mental, and hormonal changes alone are intense. But many kids also face the added stress of leaving behind elementary school and entering a larger environment with more classes, new friends to meet, and more responsibility to bear.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting August 10, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Does Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Impact Our Schools?

We’re about to enter the first school year after the Supreme Court’s sweeping redefinition of marriage, a decision that will deeply impact our children’s schools and education. Today I want to share a Q&A with Focus on the Family’s Education Analyst, Candi Cushman, where she’ll help explain how the legalization of same-sex marriage will affect the way we educate our children. –JD

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Q. Give us the big picture: How will this court decision change the environment in our schools?

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, kids, parenting, policy, religious liberty July 29, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Teaching Your Teen to be a Movie Critic

Parents of older children often get bombarded with requests to watch the latest movie popular among their friends. But for those moms and dads who are hoping to instill Christian values in their kids, these common requests pose a real dilemma: how can we equip our children to be in the world, but not part of it? How can we teach them to take in entertainment through discerning eyes and not as a “blind consumer”?

One mom found a way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, parenting July 28, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope for Parents of Prodigals

Few things are as painful for a Christian parent as a child who turns away from his or her faith. And the deeper the pain, the deeper our need for hope.

Maybe that’s why the story of the prodigal son has remained one of the most beloved parables in Scripture for centuries.

The story doesn’t make promises or guarantees about “wayward” children, of course. But it does offer hope to parents in desperate need of it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, pop culture July 9, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Same-Sex Couples at Family Gatherings: Would You Take Your Kids?

Long before the Supreme Court imposed same-sex marriage on the country, Christian parents had been dealing with the culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships and the impact it has on their children.

We at Focus are hearing from more and more of them as they navigate these difficult waters with friends and relatives who are homosexual while also trying to model Christian behavior for their own children. Here’s a question typical of those we receive:

My sister-in-law is currently married to her partner.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, homosexuality, parenting July 8, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Do You Get Along with Your In-Laws?

Do you get along with your in-laws?

Okay, so I didn’t intend that question to be funny. But if you caught yourself snickering a little, who could blame you? In-law jokes (particularly about one’s mother-in-law) are a mainstay of modern comedy routines and a common stereotype in movies and television shows.

But within every joke you can find a kernel of truth. And the truth here is in-law relationships can be difficult.

When you get married, in-laws may start doing or saying things you never anticipated, and before you even know what’s hit you, you find yourself in an adversarial relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage July 7, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: We’re Qualified to Adopt Children But Not a Dog?

My wife, Julie, and I are privileged to be the parents of three young boys: Riley (9), Will (4) and Alex (3), all of whom we adopted at birth.

Like any parent, we walk the hall of our home at night and peer into their darkened rooms, listening for the easy breathing of children at peace. Our boys are busy and spirited, the kind of youngsters who melt your heart and at the same time can test your patience.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, relationships June 9, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are You Concerned Your Children Might Drift from the Lord?

Some of you had trouble getting to sleep last night, and I think I know the reason why. You just couldn’t get your kids off of your mind.

Maybe you have a daughter who is questioning her Christian faith. Or you have a son who has turned his back on the Lord and walked away. Or maybe you have younger kids, and you’re disheartened by the world you’re having to raise them in.

There are plenty of justifiable reasons to be concerned about your children and their future and, specifically, their spiritual well-being.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, family, parenting June 4, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How a World War II Helmet Brought a Father and Son Together

Bill Mansfield was a military man. He served at the tail end of World War II, then in Korea and Vietnam. Like so many servicemen of his generation, he witnessed firsthand the horrors of war. Men around him died, and every day in battle brought new fear that he wouldn’t survive either.

That kind of trauma hardens a man.

After each deployment, Bill came home with a few more rough edges than when he’d first shipped out.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, family May 26, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

To Reduce Poverty, Reduce Divorce

I returned late last night from speaking at Georgetown University’s Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty (#povertysummit on Twitter). While I still have to digest everything that took place, I want to share a bit about the experience with you.

It was an honor to speak to the more than 700 people who attended the conference. At the event, I was part of a panel responding to the thoughts Harvard Professor Robert Putnam presents in his book, “Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis.”

In his book, Dr.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, policy, pro-life May 13, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura