parenting Archives

Practical Advice for Parenting Strong-Willed Children

Jean and I have a strong-willed boy. Over the years, we’ve joked that we were raising a lawyer-in-training. He could find a loophole in anything.

Once, Jean hosted a women’s tea and set out chocolates in the living room. She later discovered half the bowl was gone. When she asked him if he’d eaten all the chocolates, our son responded, “No,” without hesitation.

“You didn’t eat the chocolates?”

“Oh, I ate some of them. But you asked if I had eaten all of them.”

If you’ve got a strong-willed child, you’ve probably encountered situations like that.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: children, parenting November 19, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope and Help for Weary Moms

Mom, are you tired?

Research says that you are. Studies show that the average mom changes over 2,000 diapers a year, does almost 200 loads of laundry, and loses almost 900 hours of sleep! And many moms work outside of the home as well!

Motherhood can be exhausting. Moms give, give, and give some more. Especially when the boys were young, my wife Jean often felt like no one saw or appreciated everything she did each day.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, hope, mom, mother, parenting October 19, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Your Teens Retain Their Faith

As a father of two young men, the topic of how young people and faith coalesce is close to my heart because Jean and I are living it right now. We have diligently tried to raise our sons to be men after God’s heart. Some days we feel like we’ve hit a home run. Other days, we fear we’re striking out.

Maybe you feel the same way. Christian parents are competing with a lot in the culture when it comes to believing in God and living for him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, parenting September 25, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Conveying God’s Love Through Discipline

Does this formula remind you of your parenting style?

You probably recognize that from a math class somewhere in your past. It guarantees that every time you add A and B together, you get C. So, 3 + 2 always equals 5. Every time. It’s simple. It’s reliable.

It’s predictable.

Which is why formulas are the go-to parenting method for so many moms and dads. And many don’t even realize they’re doing it.

Here’s the test.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: discipline, parenting September 21, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Your Young Adult Thrive in College

College is supposed to be an exciting season of life. Fun times. Great classes. New friends.

But it can also be a season of stress. Along with stacks of homework, students have questions about the future. Add to that the impact of the pandemic, and today’s college students are facing a lot of uncertainty.

We were able to host a group of interns this summer here at Focus on the Family. They shared some of their concerns with us about what’s ahead for them.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, parenting August 10, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Balancing Bonding and Boundaries as a Parent

To raise happy, healthy children, remember this: Rules alone won’t work.

Rules only control a child’s outer behavior. To develop a child’s inner character, you have to go deeper. Until children develop an inner motivation to do the right thing, they’ll keep sticking their toe over the line.

Like a friend of mine’s five-year-old daughter. They were playing together in the front yard. “Stay in the grass,” he told her. “Don’t step onto the sidewalk or the driveway.” The little girl looked her dad right in the eye, playfully danced to the edge of the grass … and stuck her big toe across the forbidden line.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting July 31, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Kids: You Gotta Love Em

When times are hard, it’s important to enjoy some laughter.

That’s what we have in store with our guest Kenn Kington, our guest on the Focus on the Family Broadcast “Kids: You Gotta Love Em.”

Kenn is a popular comedian and motivational speaker who has quite a knack for finding the humor in everyday moments with his wife and three kids.

I know you’ll enjoy his message. It’s fun. Yet it communicates an important point: Children mimic us!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, parenting May 18, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Great Parenting Advice from the Bible – Over Breakfast, No Less!

I suspect few parents see the Bible as a parenting manual,
but its pages are nevertheless brimming with good and practical counsel – made
even more incredible given the book’s age.

From warning fathers to not exasperate their children
(Ephesians 6:4) to encouraging discipline in the inevitable event of unruly
children (Hebrews 12:11, Proverbs 29:17), the Scriptures have answers to the
challenges that moms and dads are facing.

Sometimes, though, the advice shows up in seemingly unlikely
places.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting April 29, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tips for building a Healthy Family

Home improvement is more popular than ever.

Well, for a lot of you, anyway. I have to be honest. Home renovation scares the daylights out of me. To say I don’t have an aptitude for it is an understatement.

A few years ago, Jean and I had a contractor come to our home to assess some water damage. Water got inside one of our window wells after the cover peeled away. The guy looked things over and said, “This is a simple fix.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage, parenting March 23, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Children Understand How They Feel

The Bible encourages us to manage our emotions.

Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.”

Identifying and managing emotions can be challenging for adults. How much more difficult is it for children?

Kids experience big feelings inside little bodies and can easily be overwhelmed and confused by their feelings.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, faith, parenting March 10, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura