parenting Archives

Effective Habits to Embrace in Parenting

What kind of tools are in your parenting toolbox?

In a regular toolbox, like the one in your garage, you’ll find hammers, screwdrivers, and different sized wrenches – tools with very particular uses for specific problems around the house. There’s an old saying: if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything will look like a nail after a while.

There isn’t one tool to rule them all.

It’s the same with parenting. Some moms and dads only have one tool in their parenting toolbox that they use in every situation – like anger, overly strict rules, or permissiveness.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting July 19, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

GUEST POST: How to Raise an Anti-Woke Daughter

By: Michelle Easton

How can you be sure your daughter remains a conservative woman of faith once she leaves your home? Given toxic social media, radical indoctrination in schools, and a popular culture that promotes non-traditional values, parents can’t assume she’ll stay conservative because she went to church. The best parenting mimics the way our heavenly Father loves his children, so our default parental setting should be to return to the immutable and transcendent Judeo-Christian truths that shaped America’s founding.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting July 6, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Fathers Need to Possess in Order to Man Up in an Increasingly Feminized World

In our current era of woke politics and a blurring and morphing of the differences between males and females, are we losing sight of distinctly manly qualities? We believe we are, and these are very different than mere male characteristics.

Being male is a function of distinct body parts and DNA. Being a man is wholly a question of character—about what a man chooses to do and how he does it. It’s incumbent on fathers of sons to exhibit and teach their boys what it takes to grow up and assume their unique role in society.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: father, parenting June 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are Your Children Your Mission Field?

Are you a mom wanting to do something big for God, but you don’t have the energy or the time?

Maybe God has already given you your greater purpose.

Author and mom Shontell Brewer recalls feeling guilty every time her pastor talked about making a difference through mission work. She was the mother of five children and struggled with feeling like she couldn’t get to the real work of missions until she completed the childrearing phase of her life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: mothers, parenting June 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding Your Teen’s Behavior

“What were you thinking?”

If you’re a parent of teenagers, you’ve probably asked that question a few times. I know I have. More than once, Jean and I have looked at each other and asked about one of our boys: “What is going on in that brain of his?”

According to Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark, our guests on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Understanding Your Teen’s Behavior,” there’s an avalanche of change happening inside a teenager’s body.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting, Teens May 17, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding the Root of Your Child’s Misbehavior

Why do kids misbehave?

According to Dr. Kevin Leman, all misbehavior is a call for attention. If your children don’t get attention from you through positive actions, they’ll get it through negative actions.

He says the four goals of misbehavior are:

Once you understand the reasons behind your child’s misbehavior, the most important question still remains: what do you do about it?

Dr. Leman is our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Understanding the Root of Your Child’s Misbehavior” to share how to uncover the root cause of whining, backtalking, and tantrums, and how to offer your children more love and acceptance without coddling them.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting May 12, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding New Strength as a Mom

Mom, are you suffering an identity crisis? When you introduce yourself, do you say, “I’m just a mom”? Do you see your own shortcomings and minimize the role you play in your kids’ lives?

I understand the temptation to think that way. On the surface, there’s nothing glamorous about chasing kids around the house, fixing meal after meal, and stepping on toys scattered down the hallway.

But motherhood is a unique calling. You’re not simply changing diapers; you’re molding character.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: mothers, parenting May 7, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fighting for Joy as a Special Needs Parent

What do you do when you’ve prayed for a miracle … and the miracle never comes?

Jason Hague faced that situation after his son Jack was born. Like any father, Jason had dreams for his relationship with his son – the games they’d play together, the conversations they’d have.

Around age two, Jack started to regress developmentally. He struggled to walk. He lost his vocabulary and his ability to communicate. Jack was soon diagnosed with autism, and everything in Jason’s family changed.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting April 13, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Loving Your Spouse in the Midst of Parenthood

Do you remember when you were first married – how you and your spouse enjoyed endless conversation, had fun together every weekend, and always seemed to have time for one another?

Do you remember how all of that changed in the years after you became parents – how every moment seemed busy with sports practice, dentist appointments, and school programs?

Once a couple has children, it’s easy for the marriage to get pushed down the priority list.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, parenting April 12, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Ditching the Cranky Monster Mom

There’s an old saying: “If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

In most homes, Mom sets the tone. She’s the temperature gauge. If she’s in a great mood, everything else will run smooth.

Many women enter motherhood envisioning themselves as patient, kind, loving, soft, and gentle. And when they actually have a child, they’re confronted with the reality that children have a will of their own from infancy.

Children have an incredible way of pushing a mom’s buttons and triggering what author Becky Kopitzke calls the “momster.” Motherhood will find a way to squeeze out the most sinful parts of a woman, even one who strives to be under control and in tune with God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting April 9, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura