Daly Focus Blog
I’ve known a lot of guys who think nurturing children is mom’s job, not dad’s. Fatherhood should be about strength, they say.
I agree, but instead of picturing a bouquet of flowers, picture a mighty oak tree. It’s the tree’s strength that allows it to provide and protect and nurture the wildlife around it.
That’s fatherhood. Nurturing dads have strong character, but a gentle spirit that enables them to handle discipline issues without criticizing or being harsh.
When should a parent decide, “My child is old enough to live completely free of my influence”?
By the way, “Never!” is not a good answer.
Children on their way to adulthood have always struggled for independence against their parents. What’s changed is how parents view childhood between the ages of 13 and 20.
The concept of “adolescence” has only been around for 100 years or so. The terms “adolescent” and “teenager” were first used around 1941.
There are 150 million orphans in the world.
Every six seconds a child dies because they don’t have access to food or water.
What are you going to do about it?
That’s a daunting question, isn’t it? The scale of poverty in the world is so overwhelming that we feel paralyzed … and do nothing.
I suggest a change in perspective. No, you can’t fix the world’s problems. But you can do good right where you are.
I can’t say it enough. Moms have on of the hardest jobs in the world!
I think the Lord created women with maternal instincts that drive them to serve and sacrifice everything they have for the sake of their families. My own mom cared for five children, worked two jobs, and tried to meet everybody’s needs the best way she knew how. We didn’t have much, but we were happy.
Unfortunately, it’s easy for moms to take on too many responsibilities – and neglect themselves in the process.
Nature has incredible influence over us.
Studies show that plants and flowers help post-surgery patients raise their spirits, experience shorter hospital stays, require less medicine, and recover faster.
An article from the Yale School of Environment reports that spending a cumulative time of two hours in nature each week has significant health benefits.
Nature is also an incredible classroom for teaching children about God’s character. Even young children can perceive God’s hidden attributes through creation (Romans 1:20), connect God’s Word to the natural world, and develop a deep understanding of the rich nature narratives strung throughout Scripture that point to the Creator.
Do you feel like your daughter is growing up too fast?
Believe it or not, it may be true. In fact, that conversation about puberty you assumed was still a few years off may be needed sooner than you think.
There’s some debate about why it’s happening, but there’s no question that puberty is occurring earlier and earlier in girls. For some, it could be as young as seven or eight! Puberty brings about big changes in a girl’s physical development and body image, and that can be scary if she isn’t prepared for what’s coming.
When my boys were 6 and 8, Jean and I took them to Disneyland. That day, they were tired, wanted their own way, and had meltdowns. My solution was to say, “Control yourself, or you will never come here again.”
It was a silly parenting strategy on my part because Jean and I enjoyed going to Disneyland as much as the boys did. Which means I would have never followed through on the consequences I threatened.
Technology offers children the world.
On the positive side, screens help with homework, teach new skills, and connect your child with friends and family.
But there are serious dangers, too. Pornography, predators, and destructive influences are always crouching at the door.
How can parents best love and protect their children when they’re younger and help them develop into young men and women of character?
Author Julie Lowe is with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Protecting Your Kids from Worldly Dangers” to offer practical insight and advice.
Scripture calls us to care for the vulnerable. Except for a child in the womb, no one is more vulnerable than a child without a family.
Adoption and foster care represent a deeply meaningful journey, yet adoptive and foster families face unique stressors, including insecure attachment issues, trauma responses, and service agencies who don’t provide sufficient training or support.
How can you help?
Authors Jon and Dawn Stone are with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Foster Care: Making a Difference During the Formative Years” to share a concept called “missional fostering,” which includes coming alongside children as a church community and connecting families with the resources they need to raise their children to thrive.
Mom and Dad, are you a tugboat or a rudder?
You can tell by the way you motivate your children. Tugboat parents get their children going the right direction by pushing and pulling them through life. There’s a lot of nagging, mild threats, and endless warnings against the consequences of bad choices.
I think every parent has done that. I know I’ve grabbed the rope and started to pull when one of my boys hasn’t made a good decision.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
