parenting Archives

Can Any Two Adults Raise a Child?

Can you be a parent without the hassle of a romantic relationship?

According to some people, you can – and should.

Modamily is a company that helps introduce people with no romantic interests or intentions for the purpose of raising a child together. It’s like a dating website, but instead of looking for love, users are looking for someone they can parent with. Proponents advocate it’s actually a better move for children, because it skips the “divorce nightmare.”

Modamily founder Ivan Fatovic explains: “All a child needs to develop and grow is attention, encouragement and love.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, news, parenting March 20, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: A Father’s Sacrifice

It’s one of the most well-known and well-loved Bible verses, the Gospel boiled down to a few words.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son… ” (John 3:16).

At the core of our faith we see a Father’s sacrifice, and we see the second person of the Trinity giving His life for us.

The video I’m sharing with you today echoes these themes. In it, the Vander Woude family shares the deeply moving story of how its patriarch, Thomas S.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, pro-life March 19, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Businessman’s Kindness Towards Girl with Autism Hope-Renewing

You may have seen the headlines:

– Hotel guest leaves nasty letter for parents of crying baby

– Panera Bread kicks out toddler with disability over orthopedic shoes, mom says

– Restaurant bans kids at night, joins others in adding child-free policy

Sometimes it seems like the culture is making our job as parents more difficult. While I understand that some moms and dads can be overly permissive, there are signs that the general public’s tolerance towards children seems to be waning.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, news, parenting March 14, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

My New Book at Half Price

I spent part of this past weekend recording the audio version of my new book, The Good Dad: Becoming the Father You Were Meant to Be. It’s always fun to see a project come to fruition and this latest book is no exception.

The book will be officially released in late April. However, the publisher has informed us there’s a special running between now and April 21 on ePub pre-orders. Normally priced 9.99, the ePub price is currently $4.99 (available for Kindle, Nook and other eBook devices).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting March 13, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is Yelling the New Spanking for Parents? 5 Tips for Screaming-Prone Moms and Dads

Parenting children at any stage can be a real challenge. From the toddler who throws a lay-flat-on-the-floor-and-cry tantrum to the school-age brother and sister who won’t stop fighting, parents regularly navigate a wide array of situations that require dealing with unacceptable behavior.

The Today Show recently ran an interesting post exploring a growing trend among parents to manage these discipline issues through screaming rather than spanking. Maybe this tendency is due to a growing reluctance among some moms and dads to use spanking as a tool of discipline.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: discipline, kids, parenting March 12, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Father Who Wished His Son Had Never Been Born

Peter Lanza is still reeling at his son’s death.

That’s understandable because Peter’s son was Adam Lanza, the young man who killed his own mother plus 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School before taking his own life in December 2012.

In a series of interviews with The New Yorker’s Andrew Solomon, Peter breaks his silence and opens up about his son.

Yet there’s only one line in the 7,600-word article that’s making headlines: “Peter declared that he wished Adam had never been born.”

Wow.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, parenting March 11, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You See What This 8-Year-Old Boy Did?

If you were 8 years old and found a $20 bill in a parking lot of Cracker Barrel, what would you do with it?

Many people have asked themselves that after they watched a video featuring Myles Eckert, a young boy whose soldier dad was killed in Iraq just five weeks after Myles was born.

The influence of a father – even one who has been gone so long – runs deep, and it prompted Myles to do something beautiful on that chilly February morning: He decided to take that $20 bill and “pay it forward.”

Watch the moving piece below:

Myles inspired a blogger at Dad Matters, too.

Topics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, parenting March 7, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Music to My Ears in Nashville

Just two weeks ago I found myself in Nashville, TN attending the National Religious Broadcaster’s Convention. It’s always a good time to reconnect with some old friends and meet new ones as we strategize ways to more effectively and efficiently spread the Good News of the Gospel.

But while I was holed up in meetings at the Opryland Hotel, a team from Focus was across town at the Fellowship Bible Church hosting our latest Wait No More conference.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: adoption, events, kids, parenting March 6, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Focus on the Family Friend Has Gone Home

Speaker and author Ann Kiemel comforted others with the comfort she herself received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Now this woman with the soft voice and strong faith is in heaven, receiving her eternal reward.

Ann passed away Saturday after a difficult battle with cancer – but most of you know her because she so openly and bravely shared about her battle with infertility.

Through her books (she sold more than 20 million of them) and her numerous times on our broadcast, she told her story of multiple miscarriages.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, broadcast, faith, news, parenting March 4, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Oscar Season Reminds Us That Entertainment Shapes Us

It was the late Ingmar Bergman, arguably one of the world’s most accomplished Hollywood directors in history, who once suggested that “No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”

He was right.

Film is an incredible medium that shapes us individually, and as such, shapes culture. This Sunday’s Academy Awards celebrated this power and, in doing so, highlighted priorities and passions of a world-famous industry for both good and bad.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, kids, parenting, pop culture March 3, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura