Organizations like the Girl Scouts of America (GSA) used to come alongside parents in reinforcing time-honored values that gave girls and young women a solid moral foundation upon which to build their lives.

But in the 1990s, moral relativism started changing that. The word “God” was removed from the GSA’s oath. The curriculum stopped promoting traditional values. And GSA leadership began adopting a pro-homosexual political agenda.

In the midst of that turmoil, serving the GSA and the girls it represented was Patti Garibay, a local troop leader.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting July 25, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Parenting is the toughest job in the world.

Why?

Well, for one thing, parenting is a job you can never truly master. By the time you figure out one stage of life, your child has already moved on to the next one, and you have to start all over.

For another thing, you can never quit. You will come to the end of yourself regularly and often, but somehow, someway, you have to keep going. That small person depends on you, and God has entrusted him or her to your care.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting July 21, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Parenting each child according to his or her deepest identity is the concept outlined in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (ESV).

The wisdom of the verse is that every child within a family is unique. One child is a reliable, conscientious list-maker who likes things done well. Another child is rough and tumble and hangs tough through thick and thin.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting June 24, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

David and Jason Benham’s childhood was filled with wonderful memories of baseball with their dad, who became a lifelong fan as a kid when his dad surprised him with tickets to a Yankees game.

Later, when David and Jason came along, he played catch with them and coached their Little League teams.

Then there was the stadium. Each time the Benham family drove through Shreveport, Louisiana, they passed by Fair Grounds Field, the stadium home for the San Francisco Giants’ Double-A affiliate, the Shreveport Captains.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting June 17, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Have you ever considered raising your children as an act of worship to the Lord?

Author Gary Thomas calls that approach “sacred parenting.” It elevates parenting to something beyond raising children who do their homework, brush their teeth, and do their chores without being told.

Practical growth points like those are important, but they can also distract us from the bigger reasons God gave us children to raise, and from what He wants to accomplish in and through our families.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting June 7, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If you have a teenager, then you already know that the day is soon coming when your son or daughter will leave home. That moment for you will be the culmination of years of dedication, focus, and sacrifice. It will also be accompanied by a whirlwind of emotion – part accomplishment and relief, part loss and grief.

Some parents react to the struggle of letting go of their children by not letting go. They cling to their need to feel needed.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting May 23, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How do you respond when your children won’t put on their shoes, clean their room, or get into bed the first time you ask them? Or when they won’t eat the food you cook or do their homework without fussing about it?

Some moms struggle to navigate situations like that without yelling or speaking harshly to their children. And when they do succumb to knee-jerk reactions, they feel guilty and angry with themselves.

If you respond in unhealthy ways when your children misbehave, there’s a better approach.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting May 9, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura