The Freedom We Celebrate
I grew up in Northern Virginia. It’s important to note the “northern” part. Because Northern Virginia is a different world from the rest of the state. We consider ourselves an extension of Washington DC. The pace where life is faster, the obsession over politics is...
Two False Assumptions You Might Be Making About Kids
Try explaining AGE to a three-year-old. You may say, “One day you’ll be big like me!” And then he’ll respond, as he stands on a chair, “Look! I’m getting bigger already!” Teens aren’t clued in either. Sure, they get what it means to be 16, but they...
6 Ways to Meet Your Toddler’s Needs
Toddlers get a bad rap. Sure they whine and throw tantrums. But can you blame them? There’s a lot going on in those pint-sized bodies. But with the world at their fingertips, there’s still so much they can’t do. That’s where you come in.
Because, One Day, Your Kids Stop Bugging You (Really)
You may have a toddler right now who won’t leave your side. You know the kind. The kid who's glued to your leg, velcroed to your arm, who keeps wanting you to read the same story again, and again, and again. It’s driving you nuts some days, isn’t it? Hard to believe,...
Why You Should Push Your Kids Out the Front Door
When I was a kid, one of my favorite things to do in the whole world was going with my grandpa to peddle watermelons. Not selling. Peddling. Selling is often fast paced and intense. We peddled. It was slow and laid back. We drove around town in his little white pickup...
Champion Tribes: Helping Middle School Boys Connect With Their Dads While Preparing Them For Life
Have you ever been to a little league game and watched the interaction between dads and their sons? It’s quite fascinating. And a bit entertaining. If you look closely, you’ll notice something far more important than just the game itself. In between the cheers,...
How to NOT Become the Distant Dad
So what do you do when your pre-teen or teen doesn’t want to hang out with you as a parent anymore? That can be a hard question to answer. In fact, while there’s a mountain of advice for parents of infants, often parents of pre-teens and teens can end up feeling more...
How to Make the Most of Your Week
Time. It’s moving fast. It’s limited. We will never have more of it than we already have. So the issue is not how do we get more, but how do we become more intentional about what we have? How can we manage our time strategically to parent beyond our capacity?
One Simple Way to Decrease Your Chances of Raising a Brat
My husband and I just got back from taking our girls to Hilton Head, South Carolina for a long weekend. There were bike-riding adventures, hot dogs on the beach, and early bedtimes (thank you, swimming, for exhausting my children like no other activity) – a great time...
Switch One Word and Change Your Family Dynamics
Growing up, I always knew I wanted a family of my own—the wife, the kids, the whole bit. In college, I remember having “deep” conversations with friends about how I was going to do family right. I remember thinking, I’m going to be a great husband and dad. Then I...
The Importance of Letting Go
I’m writing this while sitting on a flight with my thirteen-year-old son on our way home from Uganda. Yep . . . Uganda! It’s actually an interesting story how it all happened. I had an opportunity to join a mission trip to Uganda to pilot if for our ministry. The trip...
Is Vacation Really Vacation When You Have Kids?
I remember one of the hardest days I had when I first became a parent. It wasn’t watching my little guy get a shot and realizing that the world would hurt him in ways I would be unable to stop. It was the day we took our first family vacation. Let me tell you about...