Category: Weekly character projects

The Dog Who Returns to His Vomit. Yuck.

Our elderly cat recently gave me another opportunity to contemplate life. This time I was encamped on the sofa, snuggled under a blanket, enjoying a phone call from our oldest daughter. I heard it — the dreaded retching sound that always precedes the deposit of a yucky pile of half-digested food in a most-likely-to-be-stepped-in part of the house. The retching concluded with an unpleasant liquidy sound, and the cat soon […]

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A Goal-for-the-Day

Goals are good. They help us make progress. We’re much more likely to accomplish the things that are important when we set goals. Last January I published a post about helping children with long-term goals. You can read that post here. At the beginning of this new year, let’s think about short-term goals — goals we can help our children set for just one day. These will be simple goals that […]

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A Gift the Children Can Give

It’s almost Christmas Day! Here’s a little something for your children, if they need some help coming up with simple gifts to give. Help them give of themselves during this season when we celebrate the great gift of God’s Son to the world. Print out these coupons, cut them out, and help your children think of acts of service and love that they can give to others — to siblings, […]

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Christmas Carols!

I love Christmas, and one of the things I love most about it is the music. I can’t imagine Christmas without Christmas music! There’s just so much to sing about! Take some time this year to talk about some of the Christmas carols with your children. We grow up singing the familiar carols — Silent Night. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Angels We Have Heard on High. God Rest […]

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Excuses and Honesty

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Pr. 28:13). It is important for our children to “put off” lying and to “put on” honesty. Honesty and humility go hand in hand. The humble person is willing to honestly acknowledge his sin. The proud person covers it. God blesses the humble; He resists the proud. The proud man lies to himself […]

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Raising Super-Hero Peacemakers

“It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3, NKJV). It doesn’t take any special talent or strength to start a quarrel. Any fool can do it; it comes naturally. Any mother can attest to that fact. In contrast, Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he […]

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A Bible Study on Friendship

The Bible has a lot to say about being a friend (including what we should do, and what we should not do!) This is something we’re studying right now, and I wanted to share it with you. This printable study gives 28 Bible references related to friendship. Some give instructions, some show good examples, and some show bad examples. Download the Bible study (PDF) This study can easily be used […]

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Some Thoughts on Carelessness with “Stuff”

“Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys” (Proverbs 18:9, ESV). A child who is lazy will end up misplacing items, wasting resources, using up unnecessary time (his and others’), and losing the trust of others. A parent who is lazy in his responsibilities to train his children will also have a destructive influence on their lives! Teach your children the truth of Proverbs 18:9 when their […]

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A Bible Study on Humility

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3, ESV) God promises some great blessings to those who are humble: A humble person receives God’s favor (Prov. 3:34) A humble person finds wisdom (Prov. 11:2) A humble person finds riches, honor, and life (Prov. 22:4) A humble person will be exalted by God (1 Pet. 5:6) A humble person has the […]

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Putting Off and Putting On

It’s easy to focus on the “don’ts” in our parenting. We invest a lot of time in disciplining our children for their misbehavior, for their bad attitudes, their sinful words, their disobedient and unloving actions. But teaching our children to get along with each other involves more than breaking up fights and taking away coveted toys. We know that they need to “take off” the impatience and pride that so often […]

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