Dad, don’t let your teenage daughter fool you. She needs you. I know her attitude may not always reflect that, but it’s true. She’s caught in a whirlwind of hormones and emotional upheaval. Her self-worth is under attack, and her social world is topsy-turvy. On top of that, she’s physically growing, changing, and feeling awkward. With you. With everybody.

Over the next few years, your daughter’s attitude will tempt you to disengage from her, to keep her at arm’s length.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting November 16, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

November is National Adoption Month.

In the United States, there are nearly 400,000 children in the foster care system whose parents cannot safely care for them. These children need someone who will house them and provide for their basic needs.

Addressing this issue is not easy because foster care is not easy. Consider that the process always begins with a child losing a home and a family. Nevertheless, God is present in the midst of confusion.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting November 15, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Raising teenagers can be both exciting and stressful. There’s a lot going on in their lives. They’re learning how to manage their own thoughts, feelings. and identities apart from mom and dad.

Developmentally, that’s a good thing. But in many families, a teenager’s struggle for independence becomes a tug-of-war with parents who take their authority seriously.

Effective communication with a teenager can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to navigate conflict, emotional triggers, disrespect, and even a few slammed doors.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 30, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Do you practice “everyday generosity”?

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Modeling Generosity for Your Children,” father-and-son team Brad and Drew Formsma explain how to use your time, talent, and influence to infuse your children with a spirit of generosity that they’ll carry into their adult years.

They’ll share how to be generous with:

In a “me-focused” culture, our children can develop an other-centered attitude that expresses Christ’s love through simple acts of kindness.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 27, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Gen Z is desperate for guidance and inspiration.

Jason Jimenez has been pastoring parents and students for over thirty years. He’s raised four Gen Z kids of his own. He says this current generation of children represents the most difficult parenting challenge in America’s history. The spread of secularism, violent school shootings, racial and political divides, and the influence of social media have radically altered the parenting landscape.

He once led a question-and-answer session with fifty students about the topic of government.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 11, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Men are notorious for not expressing their feelings well.

A big reason for that is they were never taught how to do it as boys. No one tells them, “You’re gonna feel anger and grief, and here’s how you handle those emotions.” When boys get upset and shove their sister or backtalk their teacher, their behavior gets scolded, but no one teaches them how to harness their emotion and channel it in positive ways.

I once heard a professional football player say that he struggled to manage his emotions because he was expected to be aggressive in his job each day but then switch it off before he returned home each night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 4, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

At the end of a shopping trip to Walmart, author Karis Kimmel Murray stopped by the shoe aisle with her daughter, Riley, who decided that she’d been sitting patiently in the cart long enough.

Karis allowed Riley to walk beside her, but Riley didn’t just want out of the cart, she wanted out of the store. And Karis stood between her and that goal.

To express her displeasure, Riley walked from one end of the shoe aisle to the other with her arms outstretched, knocking off every box of shoes within reach.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 2, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura