Well, the next post on sharing will be here next Tuesday! Instead of finishing it now, I am working on a shower gift for my future daughter-in-law’s bridal shower on Saturday, writing a devotion to give at the shower, and editing a great new book on wedding planning that we’ll be publishing by the end of the year (written by the amazing lady who coordinated a couple of our family weddings). […]
Read More →Category: Positive character building
More on Sharing
“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”(Philippians 2:4). What does it mean to share? What are we trying to teach our children when we teach them to share? There are at least two sides to sharing: Letting others enjoy the things we have. This is the obvious part of sharing. One child has a toy, and he needs to learn […]
Read More →Sharing
“…for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Teaching children to share is one of the big challenges of parenting. Sharing does not come naturally to the old sin nature. We shouldn’t be dismayed, disappointed, or angry when we hear the words, “No, mine,” coming from the mouths of our little ones. Our children are just proving that they inherited their parents’ sinful natures! Children need to be gently […]
Read More →Training Our Children to See
“The hearing ear, and the seeing eye, the Lord hath made even both of them” (Proverbs 20:12). I’ve always been amazed at what children don’t see. They can step over an obstacle in the middle of the floor and not even notice it was there. Clothes on the floor, lidless toothpaste tubes, over-flowing wastebaskets – all are apparently invisible to many children. Children need to be trained to see before […]
Read More →Praising the Good
“…to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Pet. 2:14, ESV). It’s easy to become focused on what our children are doing wrong. When the toddler spews the food he doesn’t like across the room, we have to clean it up. And we have to train him to behave differently. When angry boys resort to punching each other, we have to evaluate their stories. […]
Read More →Teaching Our Children to be Thankful for Their Food
“O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever… Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever” (Ps 136:1 and 25). The Israelites complained about the food God gave them. There it was, miraculously appearing on the ground every morning, “angels’ food” (Ps. 78:5), free for the gathering. It tasted good. It was good for them. Their loving Father, […]
Read More →Teaching Children to Use Computers, Internet, and TV Wisely
“The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.” (Proverbs 22:3) Last week I told you about the summer my parents turned off our computer. Computer time was becoming too important, but once we got off the computer for a few hours, we remembered how fun it was to be active and creative again! Don’t get me wrong; technology is not a bad […]
Read More →The Summer My Parents Turned Off the Computer
“If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.” (Matthew 5:29a) Long-awaited summer had finally arrived! My brothers and I, ages 9, 11, and 13, were thrilled to be finished with another year of homeschooling. The main thrill was that, instead of having only half an hour of computer time scheduled around our school assignments, we now had lots more free time—and we planned […]
Read More →Making a Prayer Journal
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. (Psalm 145:18) A simple prayer notebook can help you and your children remember prayer requests and see how God answers your prayers. If you have mostly small children, you might want to keep one notebook for the whole family, but if your children are old enough […]
Read More →Ever Feel Like a Referee?
One day, many years ago, I woke up to the fact that I was encouraging my children to gossip. You might recognize the symptoms: “Maaah-meee! Ruthie’s not sharing!” “Maaah-mee! Benny just poked me!” “Maaah-mee! Suzy’s making faces at me!” One child would become annoyed with another child. Instead of exercising patience and overlooking small offenses or calmly talking to the person who might be seriously provoking him, he was hurrying […]
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