Parenting Archives - Page 4 of 7

Have we disconnected the fruit from the seeds when it comes to a Biblical worldview?

August 28, 2017 by Susan Leave a Comment

Teaching a Biblical worldview matters! Kids are leaving their faith at astounding rates. How long is it going to take for us to recognize the seeds that produce this fruit & start planting something different?

I heard a story recently about a young man who was out in his father’s watermelon field working, with strict instructions not to eat any of the fruit. Giving in to temptation, he attempted to hide the evidence by burying the remains off in another part of the field. He was sure he’d gotten away with it until his father noticed watermelons growing where they didn’t belong. The evidence was irrefutable. Undeniable. Once the fruit appeared, the son could not hide that he had buried the seeds in just that place.

What the parental reviews missed in Spiderman: Homecoming

July 10, 2017 by Susan 7 Comments

I don’t consider myself a prude. Not even close. But I do feel like Jeremiah when he wrote that the people –who God was about to punish, by the way– had ‘forgotten how to blush’.

It is really not my intent to become a movie reviewer here. And after writing about my emotional reaction to Wonder Woman recently, I didn’t plan on writing about any other movies anytime soon. Then I went to see Spiderman: Homecoming on Friday.

Dads, Your Presence Matters More than Your Presents

June 26, 2017 by Susan 2 Comments

If you’re looking for advice for being a good dad, there are a lot of books out there. A quick search on Amazon brings up titles like How to Father, 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know, and the classic Dude, You’re Going to Be a Dad.

But can I tell you…no matter what parenting technique you subscribe to, unless you are a total jerk, you’re going to do just fine as long as you remember that your kids need your presence.

Not want

ask for

seek out

…need.

Can it feel awkward sometimes? Yes. Will you be doing things you wouldn’t pick to do. Absolutely. Might you fail miserably in trying to connect with them. Quite possibly. But God will bless your effort.

Moms, please don’t stop doing things for your teens. They can still grow into responsible adults…promise.

June 5, 2017 by Susan 28 Comments

Parenting changes so much when your kids become teens. But that doesn’t mean you have to abandon them to figure it all out on their own. Apprenticing our teens into adulthood is the real goal. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to catch the link to my interview on this topic!

Listen to my interview with Vicki Tillman on the Homeschool High School Podcast on this topic.

Did you see the article going around recently about parenting teens? It implored parents to stop doing things for their teen in order to grow independence and maturity. Maybe you even shared or ‘liked’ it. It made some valid points.

But it also kind of broke my heart.

Don’t wake your kids up. Don’t pack their lunch. Don’t bring them things they’ve forgotten or fill out paperwork for them. Don’t ‘meddle’ in their academics.

Here’s the thing, parents… as our sweet babies grow into smelly, sassy teens, we do need to change the way we parent. We need to be intentional about developing that independence and maturity. And that can mean hard lessons, consequences, and ‘tough love’. But there are a few major problems I see with advising parents to stop doing these things for their kids altogether.

Picture Books from Candlewick Press: Practicing the Art of Strewing

March 8, 2017 by Susan 5 Comments

Do you practice strewing? If you don’t strew, you’re missing some teachable moments with your kids. You probably strew and don’t even know it. Are you asking: What is strewing?!

Strewing is simply consciously leaving material around the house for children to discover and engage with.

One of the places I like to strew is in the bathroom…captive audience, you see. One of my nieces said once that she loved using the bathroom at my house because she always learned something. (At the time, I was swapping out pages with the Greek and Latin roots to English words in a clear page protector hung on the wall).

Depending on the ages of your kids, you can strew building toys, art supplies, or puzzles. Lately, I’ve been strewing books. And I have found a fantastic resource for them: Candlewick Press.

God’s Truth Conquers Your Parenting Fears

January 30, 2017 by Susan 10 Comments

All parents have their own arena of parenting fears. When my boys were young, my fears tended to surround them being taken or harmed. Fears can paralyze us, can’t they?

One night, I tip-toed in to my boys’ room, tucked them in, brushing the hair out of their faces as they peacefully slept in their footed jammies. I sat down on the floor of their room to pray over them. As I sat there, I began to hear God’s voice asking me if I would trust my boys with Him. Would I give Him my boys?