Parenting Archives | The Sparrow's Home

Food for Thought #38

July 16, 2018 by Susan

Parenting is one of those topics that you just can’t read enough about. Not that you’re usually seeing new or revolutionary information. But the nature of humanity is to forget. Reminders about parenting priorities, methods, ideas and practices are important…I’d even say necessary…in making us the best parents we can be. I’ve especially had parenting on the brain as I recently read a fantastic book on Christian parenting, and used it to teach a couple of workshops. One of the things I have enjoyed the most is hearing parents speaking into each others’ lives in the course of our discussions.

Here’s what I’ve been reading…

Parents, we may miss the mark sometimes, but we should at least know where the target is.

July 9, 2018 by Susan

Are you worried that you’ll do everything you can raising your kids in the faith and yet when they’re an adult they’ll walk away from it?

There’s no more important mission field we face than raising our children to adore God. You could be a hero of the faith, but that’s meaningless if you neglect to parent well. No pressure, right.

What’s the secret to family trips with more learning, more memories?

June 18, 2018 by Susan

Summer is often the time when families hit the road. Whether it’s a vacation, visiting family, or heading off to camps and conferences… we are on the move.

The first really long road trip we made as a family was from Minnesota to Louisiana for a wedding when the boys were just about 2 and 3 years old. This was before ipads and other devices so we did what we could: We wedged a tiny TV between the front two seats and made a 6 hour video tape of Dora the Explorer and Bob the Builder episodes to entertain the troops.

Before you say, “What were you thinking…6 hours of Dora?!” We weren’t totally crazy, we also brought The Wiggles videos.

Oh, wait. Nevermind.

As kids get older, though, there is so much that you can do to make family trips more enjoyable, more memory-filled, and more intentionally filled with learning.

Adding the words “kid friendly” to your kale chips recipe isn’t fooling anyone

May 7, 2018 by Susan

Do you have picky eaters?

If so then you, like me, are skeptical of lists that claim to be “kid friendly”. It’s especially offensive to click a link promising “10 recipes your picky eaters will devour” only to find it full of recipes with ingredients many adults I know wouldn’t even eat.

Chickpeas, really?

What Did God See in Mary & Joseph? [Free Printable Lesson]

December 18, 2017 by Susan

Let me ask you this: If you were unable to raise your children, what characteristics would you look for in the people you chose to take care of them?

The passages of Scripture that tell of Christ’s birth have become so over-familiar to us, haven’t they?

I’m teaching our adult Sunday school class this week, and as I was looking for a lesson that wasn’t the same old same old, all I could find was….well, the same old same old. I went back to the beginning of Luke and began to read the familiar words again.

Then the question I asked above came into my head. I realized that out of all the people who have ever lived, God chose Mary and Joseph to raise his son, Jesus. Clearly they pleased Him. Wouldn’t it be interesting, I thought, to look into their character to hunt for qualities that we could apply to our own lives as we seek to be people who please God.

The Tradition of a Family Game for Christmas

December 11, 2017 by Susan

Do you have a family gift tradition? Some families open new pajamas on Christmas eve. Some give a family movie or have a tradition of hot chocolate in new mugs.

We are a game playing family, and so we like to wrap up a new family game to open on Christmas. It started when the boys were quite young. Hungry Hungry Hippos was the first game made a family gift. Over the years our games have grown up with the boys.

If you’re looking for some unique ideas for a game for your family, I’ve compiled a round up here to give you some ideas. While many of these would be great for upper elementary aged kids and older, we got them because they’re games that both teens and adults enjoy playing.