parenting Archives

Passing on Your Faith to Your Kids

Like my world, yours is probably hectic and fast paced. You’re booked solid with work, household responsibilities, and obligations to your church and community. Some days it’s tough to keep up with all of the good that you’re doing.

Overcommitment is an easy mistake to make. Every opportunity seems deserving of a yes. But one yes too many is all it takes to go from “busy” to “overwhelmed.” One day you’re happily doing good things. The next day you can barely keep up with all the good things you’re doing.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith, kids, parenting May 5, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Moms and Dads Don’t Check Their Rights at the School Door

Once upon a time, public school educators and administrators routinely complemented the work of parents in the home.

No more.

With increasing regularity, moms and dads find themselves battling “woke” policies along with radical politicians and activists seeking to usurp their rights and threaten the health and safety of their kids.

Two years ago, January Littlejohn’s 13-year-old daughter came home from school and shared with her mom that her Florida middle school had given her the option of which bathroom she would prefer to use – girls or boys.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith, parenting May 2, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Coaching Your Kids Through the Teen Years

Dr. Gary Chapman says one of the most sobering questions he ever asked himself was: “What if my child turns out to be just like me?”

What if they have the same work ethic that I have?

What if they handle anger the way I do?

What if they treat their spouse the way I treat mine?

What if they have the same relationship with God that I have?

Answering those questions should remind every parent that the behavior we model is more important than the words that we speak.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: family, parenting April 20, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Attacking Stay-at-Home Moms is Latest Front in the Ongoing War on Children

According to feminist author Jill Filipovic, stay-at-home-moms are responsible for producing and encouraging the very worst of men. They’re also a drag on society and doing more harm than good to themselves, too.

In a series of tweets earlier this week, the controversial writer wrote:

“More mothers at home makes for worse, more sexist men who see women as mommies and helpmeets. Men with stay-at-home wives are more sexist than men with working wives; they don’t assess women’s workplace contributions [fairly]; and they are less likely to hire and promote women.”

Ms.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting April 14, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Florida’s Fatherhood Bill is a Model for Other States

Dads matter – and more than most people realize.

That’s the message I’ve been championing for years now, a reality born out of the social science and my own childhood growing up in a broken home.

The Florida legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis agree – which is why the state has just approved a bill that will invest $70 million in programs designed to promote fatherhood.

It’s called the “Responsible Fatherhood Bill,” and funds will be distributed to nonprofit groups committed to dads.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: parenting April 12, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Thriving as a Wife and Mom in the Middle Years

Somewhere around the midpoint of life, the questions begin.

Am I on track with my goals? Or am I playing catch up?Should I make changes to my life?How am I doing in my marriage?How am I doing as a parent?

“Middle age” is often defined by age – somewhere between 40 and 60 – but it is also defined by stage. Some women feel like they’re in midlife in their early 30s because their children are older than other moms their age.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith, parenting March 29, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Legacy of a Godly Dad

What makes a man a godly dad?

You’ll hear a powerful description on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “The Legacy of a Godly Dad.”

We’re airing a touching tribute paid by Brent Reaves to his father, “Smokey” John Reaves, the founder of Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que in Dallas. The family-run restaurant has a reputation for “serving up brisket with a side of Holy Spirit.” Not only did John serve some of the best barbecue in Texas, but he often hosted worship meetings and Bible studies in his restaurant.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: family, parenting March 28, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Nurturing Your Child’s Personality

God wires each one of us uniquely. Which is why learning who your children are, how they think, and what motivates them are critical skills to develop.

Years ago, when my older son Trent was in elementary school, he came home and said, “Guess what, Dad? I won a gold medal! In chess!” I still feel a guilty about that moment because I thought, “Really? Chess?” I had hoped that he’d want to be a football player like me.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: kids, parenting March 22, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Surviving Divorce and Single Parenthood

The permanence of marriage is one of our foundational principles here at Focus on the Family. We believe that marriage is a sacred covenant designed by God that benefits not only husbands and wives, but society as a whole.

That’s biblical. Matthew 19:5-6 says, “A man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh … what God has joined together, let no man separate.”

That said, we acknowledge that we live in a world that’s broken by sin, where the potential always exists for marriages to self-destruct because one or both spouses walk away from their commitment and aren’t willing to restore the relationship.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: marriage, parenting March 15, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Practical Advice for Raising Responsible Children

Kay Wyma is a popular author, blogger, and mother to five children. One of her friends is a human resources director who told her about a phone interview she had with a young man who had just graduated from college. Their conversation was going well until she heard the voice of the boy’s father. He was listening in and advising his son how to answer questions. Kay’s friend immediately rescinded her offer and informed the father that his twenty-something-year-old son ought to be capable of interviewing for jobs on his own.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: family, kids, parenting March 11, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura