Daly Focus Blog
There’s a saying that every parent should give their children two gifts: roots and wings.
The days and weeks after our children leave home to carve their own path through life may feel uncomfortable for us, but our pain is actually a good sign. It indicates that we have a strong connection with our children and that their absence matters to us.
The challenge is not allowing our sadness to get in the way of our children stepping forward into life.
The desire to be popular, pretty, or admired by other people starts early for girls.
Beauty and body image are now common concerns for girls as young as 10 years old. By age 17, 78% report feeling unhappy with their bodies.
My wife and I didn’t have the privilege of raising daughters, but Jean can attest to struggling with feeling comfortable in her own skin as a teen girl.
Truth be told, Eve was the first and only female to experience God’s love and acceptance while living in an environment free of competition with or comparison to anyone else.
A father told psychologist Michael Anderson, “You wouldn’t believe what my daughter has become. Ninety days ago, she was an A-student. She was in the church youth group and did anything we told her to do. Now she’s smoking and drinking, shoplifting, and does anything her friends tell her to do.”
Michael responded, “The only thing that has changed is who your daughter is listening to.”
In working with the family, Michael knew that the father had never encouraged his daughter to think for herself, only to follow instructions.
It’s not easy for a single mother to raise a son. It’s even more difficult when that son has autism.
Emily Colson can attest to both. Her husband walked out when their son Max was just 18-months old, saying he couldn’t handle the stress.
And there was a lot of stress.
Max’s autism was so severe that, for a time, Emily couldn’t leave home with him – not to the grocery store, not to friends’ houses, not to church.
When Easter comes around every year, many people think of chocolate, colored eggs, and strange looking rabbits carrying baskets.
As Christians, we know there’s a lot more to the story – Jesus’ triumphal parade, His last supper with His disciples, His brutal death on the cross, and His bodily resurrection.
The events surrounding the Easter story can evoke a complicated mix of emotions – sadness and joy, anger and gratitude, fear and trust. These mature themes can be challenging for adults to process.
If a loved one is dying, what should you tell your children?
My mom died of cancer when I was nine years old. For reasons I still don’t fully understand, my stepdad and my older siblings never told me how sick she was. All I knew was that she spent most of the day asleep in her room, and I was rarely allowed to see her. Then, one day my 19-year-old brother Mike said, “I’ve got bad news.
Instilling virtue in our children can be pretty serious business. After all, the adult world is a competitive place, and we want kids to be prepared.
Unfortunately, the desire to raise our children can lead to harsh standards that smother them. At report card time, a nearly straight-A student may be asked why they didn’t get that one grade a little higher. Or a teenager who displays the slightest sign of irresponsibility may get a 15-minute lecture.
Single moms face unique challenges when it comes to raising boys. A single mom is always interacting with her son because she’s the only parent, but that doesn’t mean she’s connecting with him in the way she wants or in the way he needs. Unlike a mother and a daughter, who both relate to the female experience, the gap between a mother and her son widens as he grows older.
How can a single mom step more deeply into her son’s world?
I saw a video that powerfully illustrates the incredible influence that fathers have in the lives of their daughters. It captured a dad in his living room, watching a basketball game. He jumped and yelled in support of his favorite team.
Right beside him, his three-year-old daughter copied his every move. She jumped when he jumped. She clapped when he clapped. She even copied his expressions of excitement.
Then the mood changed. The dad started shouting at the television.
Kirsten Watson’s husband, Benjamin, played for six NFL teams and won a super Bowl in 2005. Much of the time over those 15 years, she found herself on her own in a new city with no support and the responsibility for handling a household of seven children, including twins. At one point, her stress was so severe that she suffered from migraines and was told that her pain would continue unless she made some changes.
Maybe you can relate to the pressure Kirsten felt.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
