5 Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Tell The Truth
My grandmother used to tell me about a parenting strategy she used to us to get my mom and uncles to tell the truth when they were kids. If she suspected one of her children was lying, she would line them up and tell them that she was going to inspect their foreheads....
Innocent Little Liars
Your cute innocent little children have deceived you. They are not who they appear to be! If you haven’t already caught them in a lie, chances are you will. And more than once—as toddlers, as young children, and as teenagers. At first you might want to try to suppress...
These are the Good Old Days
Remember the good old days? What did they look like for you? For me, summer afternoons were spent heading down to the creek to play with some of my best friends. Every day I would ride my banana seat bike up and down our cul-de-sac road. There was a dirt pile near the...
Falling Short
My husband and I are short people. We knew long before each of our boys was born they didn’t stand a chance. Height was not in the cards. Several months ago the county fair was in town, so on opening night we headed out with our family and some friends to experience...
A Little Known Secret
As we've already seen earlier this week, parenting can be emotional. I also think the combination of sleep deprivation and living in close quarters for years with several other people (an arrangement we call 'family') drive people to emotional depths and heights they...
How to Inspire a Grateful Heart
When my kids were little and someone would give them a cookie or a toy, I would always say, “What do you say Jack?” And his sweet little voice would say, “Thank you for the cookie.” Now that they are older, I listen for their "thank yous" and try my best not to...
Angry Dad
Few things are more emotional than family. Your family began when two people fell in love. When you first held your child in your arms, it triggered feelings you had never felt before. Suddenly, you understood in a whole new way what unconditional love was. Until, of...
Are You Focusing On the Right Thing?
Although I wish it wasn't true, I can often focus on the negative at the expense of the positive. I tend to focus on: The "+" that was missing behind the "A" on the report car, rather than the A. The things that are going wrong, not the things that are going right (so...
Influential
Earlier this week, we said that one way to see where your children are heading in life is to look at their friends and the people who influence them. Your closest friends are a preview of the future you. Now, I totally understand that will cause some of us to worry....
Lessons For Fathers From a Dirty Diaper
By Jared Herd After nine months of painting, hanging, woodworking, assembling, and hammering, my son, Dane Everett, came into the world. The pregnancy process is such a fascinating time, beautifully built into the rhythm of life by God. I thought the nine months would...
Bridging the Gap
By Sarah Anderson The other day, by the time I walked out the door, I had already lived a thousand lifetimes. I had been awake for two hours, but was ready to crawl back in bed and request a do-over. It isn’t my favorite way to usher in daylight—with chaos, messes and...
The Ultimate Creator
When children are born, we marvel over every little toe on their foot. Everything about them is amazing to us. And when we get that first smile—oh man, I remember that moment so clearly. And then they grow! And they are taller than we thought they would be. Or their...