parenting Archives - Page 3 of 58

Connecting with Your Teen or Young Adult

There’s no one way to raise children. Discipline that works magic with one child may be completely ineffective with another.

At the bottom of every effective parenting strategy lies a universal foundation to good parenting: relationship.

Author Josh McDowell says, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” That means your child’s primary concern in life is not your rules.

What matters most to your teen or young adult is knowing that you love them.

That sense of intimate connection won’t come through your instruction, lectures, or rules.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, parenting, relationships September 26, 2019 by Jim Daly

Reaching Your Child’s Heart When They Disobey

I remember taking our boys to Disneyland when they were around 6 and 8. One of them was determined to get his way and had a meltdown. My attempted solution was to threaten, “Control yourself, or you will never come here again.”

It was a silly parenting strategy on my part because at the time, Jean and I enjoyed taking the boys to Disneyland and creating memories. In other words, I wasn’t really willing to follow through on the consequences I threatened.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, parenting September 20, 2019 by Jim Daly

Braving Middle School Like a Boss

At some point, almost every boy will struggle with the feeling that he doesn’t measure up.

My teenage feelings of inadequacy shot to the surface one day while I was in gym class, standing behind a muscular upper-classman named Glen and one of his buddies. They were talking about how guys grow bigger as they get older.

Without warning, Glen wheeled around and – Bam! – he socked me right in the chest. “See this guy?” he said.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting August 26, 2019 by Jim Daly

A Poignant Day in the Daly Household

I’ll cut right to the point.

Jean and I are grieving a little bit this week – not over the death of a loved one or a dire medical diagnosis – but grieving nonetheless.

Our oldest, Trent, left for a nearby college earlier this week.

We couldn’t be happier for him, of course, especially seeing how he’s matured and grown over these last few years. We’ve been impressed with his choice of friends, his attitude and his overall goals and sense of direction.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, faith, parenting August 21, 2019 by Jim Daly

Heroic Moms Raising Godly Heroes

“We
practiced an active shooter drill today.”

Those
words from Lee Nienhuis’ grade-school aged son, Ryan, felt like a gut punch.
She could barely hold herself together when he told her, “We pile up in the
corner like puppies, and we hide.”

That
wasn’t the only time Lee was confronted by the darkness her children face in this
world. Another incident happened in church. The congregation was singing the
hymn I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, parenting August 15, 2019 by Jim Daly

Of Course Violent Video Games Desensitize Kids

As officials attempt to continue piecing together the motives
behind last weekend’s horrific cold-blooded murder sprees in both El Paso,
Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, attention has turned once again to the role violent
video games play in these types of attacks.

In remarks from the White House earlier this week, President Trump
suggested they were likely one factor in a long list of many.

“We must stop the glorification of
violence in our society,” he said.

Topics: Current Events Tags: current events, entertainment, parenting August 8, 2019 by Jim Daly

Discovering the Best Ways to Educate Your Child

So
here’s the scenario. It’s a weeknight, and your child has spent most of the
evening on the same school assignment. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t understand
the information. To top it off, he’s brought home a note from the teacher warning
you about a failing grade.

What
do you do?

Many parents immediately assume the worst. They
think their child has a behavior problem, difficulty learning, or is just plain
lazy. But most of the time school challenges like this aren’t a crisis.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, faith, parenting August 5, 2019 by Jim Daly

Rising to the Challenge of Parenting

When author and counselor Dr. David Clarke speaks to parents, he humorously asks if children are a gift from God … or instruments of slow torture.

His answer: both!

He tells parents they’re fighting three wars:

With their own children. Kids are wonderful gifts from God, but they’re fiendishly inventive at getting their own way.With their spouse. Most couples find out after their first child is born that they have different parenting styles.With the culture. Everything from the entertainment industry to social media to public policy makes parenting children increasingly difficult.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, challenge, children, faith, parenting July 25, 2019 by Jim Daly

Understanding Your Triggers for More Peaceful Parenting

See if this scenario sounds familiar.

Your son is playing with his toys when you stop by and tell him it’s time to clean up his room. You walk away, but instead of complying immediately, your son keeps right on playing.

A few minutes later, you return and discover that your instructions have been ignored. How would you respond?

Many moms and dads respond by exploding in anger.

The question is why? There’s no reason for a child’s ignoring simple instructions like “clean up your room” or “take out the trash” to make a parent’s blood boil, and yet it often does.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting, peace July 16, 2019 by Jim Daly

Making Parenting Fun

The heat of summer is on, which for my family means camping.

We love getting outdoors. We love parking our fifth wheel in some remote location where the sounds of nature are not drowned out by cars and busyness.

When there’s a lake nearby, the first thing my boys do is grab rocks to throw into the water. And the bigger the better. For them, it’s all about the splash.

Me? I’m intrigued by the ripples.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting July 12, 2019 by Jim Daly