kids Archives

Helping Teen Girls Love Their Family Well

Jessie Minassian knows the struggles teenage girls face. She’s an author, a speaker, and a blogger who is passionate about mentoring young women. And she lived through some challenging teen years herself.

At one point, Jessie went through such a difficult time that she plotted to run away from home. Her plan fell apart before she even stepped outside of her house, but it was a turning point in her life. She decided that if she was going to stay, she ought to “stay well” and make the most of her time with her family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting February 15, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Speak Your Child’s Love Languages

What if you and your children each spoke different languages?

Imagine the challenges. How would you communicate? How would you express your love? Even if you repeatedly said the words, “I love you,” your child might never be able to fully receive your love on an emotional level. To communicate in a way that your child understands, you would need to learn to speak his or her language.

The truth is your child does speak his or her own language.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, parenting February 3, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

COVID policies: Stop treating children as political pawns

As America prepares to enter its third year of the COVID-19 global pandemic, an irrefutable and heartbreaking consensus is finally beginning to coalesce across social, economic, and even political classes:

Children who are being isolated in their homes or clothed behind masks despite being at the least possible risk across all demographics, have borne the greatest burden psychologically, emotionally, and educationally for the onerous and ill-conceived virus-related restrictions that continue to threaten our rising generation.

The explosion of the Omicron variant threatens to cause school and political officials to repeat the very same mistakes that sent our children into a downward spiral beginning in March of 2020.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids January 19, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Showing Love to Your Child Every Day

You love your children, and you want to express it well. Some days you feel happy with how you connect. Other days, you get caught up in the “everyday-ness” of life. Between work and meals and keeping up with schedules, you’re busy and not as intentional about showing love to your kids as you’d like to be.

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Showing Love to Your Child Every Day,” author Julie Lavender shares how to show love to your child and create special memories in the midst of the busyness of life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting January 6, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Effective Habits to Embrace in Parenting

There’s an old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything will look like a nail after a while.

That’s why in the toolbox in your garage you’ll find hammers, screwdrivers, and different sized wrenches – tools with very particular uses for specific problems around the house.

With that in mind, let me ask you: What kind of tools are in your parenting toolbox?

There isn’t one tool to rule them all.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting December 31, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding the Root of Your Child’s Misbehavior

Why do kids behave poorly?

According to Dr. Kevin Leman, all misbehavior is a quest for attention. If your children can’t get attention from you in positive ways, they’ll get it in negative ways.

There are four goals of misbehavior:

Attention – “I only count when others notice me and serve me.”Power – “I only count when others do what I want them to do when I want them to do it.”Revenge – “I only count when I hurt others like I’ve been hurt.”Display of inadequacy – “I’m no good.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting December 20, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Navigating a Toxic Culture with Your Daughter

Our culture is so toxic that an increasing number of young girls are suffering from a growing list of troubles – from low self-esteem and anxiety to depression and eating disorders.

What’s the answer? It isn’t so much a “what” as it is a “who.”

Mothers.

Mom, you are instrumental in helping your daughter navigate a world that is often against her. An effective way to do that is to be a good listener. Your daughter is much more likely to share her heart with you than with Dad.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting, pop culture December 16, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mothers and Sons: Being a Godly Influence

Jesus’ mother was Mary.

The prophet Samuel’s mother was Hannah.

King David’s mother?

The Bible doesn’t tell us, but she must have had tremendous insight into how boys become men because she didn’t rescue her son from risk. David was a teenager when he conquered Goliath relying on strength and trust in the Lord he developed in the field. First Samuel 17:34-36 says:

“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting December 6, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Praying Scripture Over Your Child’s Life

Author Jodie Berndt has heard from hundreds, if not thousands, of parents through the years who struggle with praying for their children, as she did:

They feel inadequate.They believe prayer to be a natural part of the parenting process, but rarely feel like their prayers “pack a punch.”Jodie even worried that her proud or anxious prayers might elbow God out of the picture.

The more familiar Jodie became with the Bible, the more Scripture reshaped her perspective and her desires – and the more her prayers lined up with God’s will

The book of James says that “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting December 1, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Healing Parent and Adult Child Relationships

One of the top calls our counseling team receives is from parents who struggle with feelings of resentment, sadness, or anger because of a fractured relationship with their adult children. It’s heartbreaking.

It’s also common. A 2015 studyby Richard Conti of Kean University found that 43 percent of college students had been estranged from their parents at some point. Twenty-six percent reported extended estrangement.

When a parent/adult child relationship is fractured, the most effective solution is to redefine the boundaries.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting November 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura