family Archives

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

Change Your Attitude and Debt-Proof Your Life

You’ve probably heard it said before, but it’s as true now as it ever was: money problems are one of the most consistent reasons for the breakdown of marriages.

That fact is why we return to the topic of money again and again here at Focus on the Family, to help and equip couples who are struggling with their finances.

Our guest on our program Wednesday (Sept. 16), Mary Hunt, has been there. She knows what it’s like to crawl out of incredible financial debt.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, finances September 15, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Best Thing A Man Can Accomplish

To be a good father, you have to be a good man.

Not perfect. After all, there are no perfect dads or men.

You just have to be there.

Sadly, there are too many dads who aren’t. Twenty-five million children in the United States go to bed each night without their biological father in the home.

Statistically, these children are more likely to grow up in financially difficult circumstances and more likely to drop out of school.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids, parenting September 8, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Let’s Make this Headline Happen: “Church Wipes Out Foster Care Adoption List”

Could you welcome a child who’s in need into your home?

Reports show there are approximately 100,000 children in foster care in the United States who don’t have a mom and dad because the courts have deemed them unfit and have terminated their parental rights.

But think about this: There are about 300,000 churches in the U.S. If just one church out of three had a family who was willing to adopt a child, the number of kids on the foster adoption rolls would be zero.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, pro-life September 4, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why an Unhappy Child Can Be a Healthy Child

“An unhappy child is a healthy child.”

At first glance, that comment from Dr. Kevin Leman catches you off guard a little, doesn’t it?

But dig a little deeper, and I think you’ll see what he means. There really are times when your son or daughter needs to be unhappy.

Why?

Well, maybe they’ve just talked back to you, disobeyed you, or disrespected you. Whatever they’ve done, you need to create an unhappy experience to help them learn that sort of behavior is unacceptable.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, parenting August 24, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Top Five Fears of Moms: How Do You Fare?

Moms, what are you afraid of?

Chances are, you’ve got a few things that sometimes keep you awake at night. In fact, with the help of Barna Research Group, Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) did a survey of hundreds of women to find out their greatest fears.

The top five were:

Fear # 1: I’m afraid I’m not enough as a mom. I’m not capable of being a good mom. I won’t have enough money or resources to adequately care for my kids.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, parenting August 20, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Understand Your Personality Type

Imagine if you put lions, otters, beavers, and a few golden retrievers all in the same room. What do you think would happen?

Talk about crazy. It’d be like Wild Kingdom in there.

There’s no surprise why. They’re nothing alike. They each approach the world through their own unique perspective and don’t see eye-to-eye on much of anything.

By this point, if you’re not familiar with the concept or the terminology, I should tell you that the scenario I just described isn’t an actual zoo (although it can sure feel like one some days).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, relationships August 17, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura