Sticking With Your Teen: Having to Say You’re Sorry

By Focus on the Family Design vector created by macrovector - http://www.freepik.com The most powerful words we can say to our kids ("I'm sorry") are also the most humbling - and sometimes the most painful. “I’m sorry. What I did was wrong.” Those words are rarely heard by anyone. They are heard even less by … Continue reading Sticking With Your Teen: Having to Say You’re Sorry

Thoughts Between Potty Training and Life360

Written by Cynthia Yanof Photo by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels Our oldest got her driver’s license recently and is navigating the roads on her own. It’s fairly gut-wrenching when you spend your whole life trying to keep your precious babies safe, and, one day, with a casual wave, they drive off to school leaving you standing … Continue reading Thoughts Between Potty Training and Life360

If Your Teen Has Broken Your Heart

Written by Paige Mayhew Photo by NEOSiAM 2020 from Pexels Heartbreak.  Of all the things on my “no fun” list, heartbreak sure takes a top spot.  I was reminded of the intensity of teenage love and heartache during a recent conversation with a momma friend. We chuckled and grimaced as we swapped stories. In those … Continue reading If Your Teen Has Broken Your Heart

Praying for Our Kids: Time Management

Written by Cynthia Yanof Photo by freestocks.org from Pexels Today we begin week 9 of praying our kids through the school year. This week we are praying specifically for our kids to understand the importance of time management. Our children’s days, like ours, are filled with so many demands for their time. If we teach … Continue reading Praying for Our Kids: Time Management

Preparing Your Teen for the Work World

By Paul White Helping your teens build a foundation for how to work well and to be better prepared for their future. One day my teenage twin sons decided they didn’t want to help around the house. One said, “All we do is work! We go to school, then to practice. We come home and have … Continue reading Preparing Your Teen for the Work World

Strong-Willed Women Mothering Strong-Willed Children

By Cynthia Tobias Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels If you’re a strong-willed woman, it can be tough to parent a younger version of yourself. But you also have a definite advantage—you know what it’s like to be a strong-willed child.  “My strong-willed child and I are like two goats fighting on a cliff — … Continue reading Strong-Willed Women Mothering Strong-Willed Children

How to Help Your Kids Dodge Digital Distractions

By Jonathan McKee Photo by Julia M Cameron from Pexels Find four ways to connect with your tweens in the midst of 24/7 video game/social media accessibility. “Why does my son waste his life playing Fortnite? If I don’t monitor him, he’ll play for 12 hours straight!” “How can I get my daughter to realize … Continue reading How to Help Your Kids Dodge Digital Distractions

George Floyd: A Conversation with My Teenagers

“Dad, what are your thoughts about the George Floyd situation and all the chaos?” This was the question my 15 year old son asked me at lunch yesterday. I immediately realized in all my reading, watching, and evaluating the situation I never actually talked about it with my two teenage boys. What follows is simply … Continue reading George Floyd: A Conversation with My Teenagers

How to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

By Sue Chan Acuña By Cynthia Tobias Photo by Julia M Cameron from Pexels Plan ahead and make adjustments to pave the way for a strong transition from elementary to middle school. Many parents say, “I knew middle school was coming, but I didn’t expect things to change so fast.” They are caught off guard … Continue reading How to Prepare Your Child for Middle School

Parenting Isn’t Paint By Numbers

By Connie Albers Photo by Vitória Santos from Pexels As our kids become teens, we’ve already established many of the parenting basics. But the masterpiece isn’t finished, and our role as parents is changing. You want to paint a mural in your room? When my daughter Jeannie was on the cusp of her teen years, … Continue reading Parenting Isn’t Paint By Numbers