Parenting
Is Your Child a Christian?
July 24, 2013 by Brian Croft
“Is my child a Christian?
As parents, we all wrestle with how to answer this question, and I’ve found there are usually two extremes that need to be avoided. The first is made worse by a lack of discernment shown in many churches when they routinely extend altar calls to 4- or 5-year-olds, ask them to raise their hands if they love Jesus, and then baptize them as converted followers of Christ.”
Making Contentment My Estate
January 22, 2015 by Mason King
“Some of my favorite memories as a child were Saturday mornings with my dad. We’d hit flea markets, Half Price Books and garage sales scouting for treasures and talking. My wife would say that these memories are what make me stop at every HPB, just to have a look and browse around.
Twenty years later, my dad and I still hit a sale from time to time. But now there’s something new in my stomach that didn’t register as a child, a feeling that uncurls in me at these estate sales, looking through someone’s garage with a bunch of strangers and picking out trinkets to add to my collection from theirs.”
Disciplining Your Children without Losing Your Cool
2003 by Ginger Hubbard
“I can relate to the frustrations of parenting little ones all day. Been there, done that! I also know how easy it is for mom to lose her cool. I was really struggling one day in particular when my children were younger. Feeling guilty for the harsh words and not-so-sweet tone of voice I had used all day, I decided to write down some guidelines that would enable me to keep myself in check. Perhaps you might benefit from them as well.”
What Children Really Need From a Father
July 27, 2015 by Misty Krasawski
“Fatherless.
Perhaps no term better describes the state of mankind across the globe right now than this one. In many nations this description is practically a one-way guaranteed ticket to poverty, homelessness and starvation. In others, multiple studies show it often sets those left alone or left behind on a path toward lesser and yet still frighteningly negative, threatened results: food insecurity, dropping out of school, incarceration. Of course these results are not inevitable, but the downward pull of the current of culture on a child left with only one parent is a powerful one.”
Parenting Well in a Digital World
March 12, 2015 by Tim Challies
“Even at the best of times there is nothing simple about raising children. But throw in a million new technologies—new devices and social networks and apps—and things get far more complicated still. This is every parent’s challenge today. Yesterday I offered a few tips on living well in a digital world and today I want to offer some tips on parenting well. I will use the same format: 3 things you need to put off or reject, and 3 things you need to put on or embrace.”
Dads - to control or to serve, you can’t do both.
August 5, 2014 by Jay Younts
“Attempting to control the lives of other people is to live the life of a fool. Only God is in control. Humans who ignore this truth are in deep trouble. Dictators may look like they have control, but then it is lost in a heartbeat. Others try to control by kindness or deference, these leaders too, can be overcome with swiftness.”
5 Common Discipline Mistakes Every Parent Should Avoid
May 14, 2014 by Matt Jacobson
“If I had known before we said yes, I never would have allowed my daughter to babysit that kid.
It wasn’t the kid’s fault; she was just along for the ride. Well, truth is, she thought she owned the entire theme park, but, again, it wasn’t her fault.
We learned later that evening that, after we dropped off our daughter and just before leaving the house, the mother turned to her and said, “Be sure you never say ‘no’ to our little monster.”
12 Ways to Love Your Wayward Child
May 9, 2007 by Desiring God
“Many parents are brokenhearted and completely baffled by their unbelieving son or daughter. They have no clue why the child they raised well is making such awful, destructive decisions. I’ve never been one of these parents, but I have been one of these sons. Reflecting back on that experience, I offer these suggestions to help you reach out to your wayward child.”
Parents, Require Obedience of Your Children
October 29, 2013 by John Piper
“I am writing this to plead with Christian parents to require obedience of their children. I am moved to write this by watching young children pay no attention to their parents’ requests, with no consequences. Parents tell a child two or three times to sit or stop and come or go, and after the third disobedience, they laughingly bribe the child. This may or may not get the behavior desired.”
The Down to Earth Gospel for Parenting
August 19, 2013 by Keri Seavey
“It all led up to this moment. The endless, wearisome job of training, nurturing, and love that we call parenting is often wrought with little fruit. Discouraged, bone-tired parents look through bloodshot eyes for scraps of evidence in their kids that all of this exhausting work actually accomplished something… anything! As sibling fights continue to rage, attitudes flare up like gas in flames, after you have spoken the same guiding words more times than you can count, you wonder if you have utterly and irreversibly failed as a parent to your children.”
The Most Frightening Prayer I Could Pray for my Children
July 17, 2013 by Christina Fox
“The most frightening prayer I could pray for my children is the one they need the most.
Now, I always pray about their behavior, their health, their progress in school, and their friendships. I also pray about their future and their jobs. I pray that my boys would marry “nice Christian girls.” But to be honest, when I pray for my children, it is easiest to ask that their lives be smooth and stress-free. It is easy to pray for their comfort and ease, for their lives to be absent of pain and grief.”
The Father of Fathers
March 11, 2013 by Justin Holcomb
“I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
– Ephesians 3:14–15
Most people are quite familiar with the concept of God as Father, but if we look at Scripture we might be surprised at what we find about the fatherhood of God.”
Like Mother, Like Father
December 3, 2012 by Hayley Satrom
“Three months ago I became a mother. On that glorious day, I learned something that all the other mothers out there already know:
Becoming a mother changes you.
The day you become a mom, you cross over this invisible line. I would liken it to a passage way, really, that I didn’t even know existed. This passage way separates the two parts of your life: the part when you weren’t a mother, and the part when you were. You enter into this other half of your life, and everything changes.”
Self-Control and Your Children
February 16, 2016 by Jay Younts
“Self-control is the fruit of the Spirit. In other words it is the evidence, the legacy of the Spirit’s work in the life of God’s people. This means we are talking about more than just physical or mental discipline. Any human can show control over these things. But only someone who is born of the Spirit of God can practice biblical self-control. This is why the biblical definition that Ruth Younts gives for self-control is vital for your children.”
When a Child Says “I Don’t Know”
March 8, 2016 by Julie Lowe
“The book of Proverbs reminds us that we are to disciple our children (Prov. 1:8). But to do that—to be good disciplers—we need relationships with our kids that are honest and open. We need to know what is really going on with them so we can help encourage godly thinking. But kids don’t always cooperate. Sometimes they don’t want to talk with us and, at a surprisingly young age, children learn they can avoid engaging in thoughtful discussion by giving the notorious “I don’t know” response to our questions.”
7 Ways Parents Unfairly Provoke Their Children
May 17, 2016 by Jim Elliff
“Parents, do not provoke your children to anger lest they become discouraged, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” This single sentence combines the New Testament’s two most prominent passages on parenting and, as I said yesterday (see Fathers (and Mothers), Do Not Provoke Your Children!), offers a significant warning to parents: We can parent our children in such a way that we provoke them to anger and discouragement. There are times when we so provoke our children that anger is the fitting and inevitable response. Today I want to offer a few ways that we, as parents, may provoke our children to that kind of anger and discouragement.”
3 Priorities for Christian Parents
May 23, 2016 by Tim Challies
“What’s a parent to do? We know that God tells us to raise our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord—we get that. But what does that actually look like? How can we flesh out that simple framework?
I was recently reading through 1 Thessalonians and once again came to one of my favorite passages. In this letter Paul is addressing specific concerns raised by the congregation in Thessalonica. It seems that one of the matters they wanted him to address involved the simple question of Christian living: How do we live lives that are pleasing to God? How can we know that God is pleased with us? The most significant part of Paul’s response to the question comes in chapter 4.”
Ask Your Child to Forgive You
June 27, 2016 by David Mathis
““I will never forget my father asking for my forgiveness. Few moments, if any, were as arresting, as moving, and as unforgettable as when Pop admitted to me — at age five or seven or ten — that he had overreacted, and that he was sorry.
I was most moved, at least in every case I remember, because I was not an innocent victim. My disobedience, rebellion, and immaturity were the catalyst for our clashes. I had sinned first, and I knew I was in the wrong.”
3 Reasons Children Need to Obey Their Parents
November 28, 2016 by Tim Challies
“Should children obey their parents? Or, perhaps more to the point, should parents insist upon their children’s obedience? The culture around us seems perplexed, so focused on personal autonomy that in many families it seems clear that the children rule the roost. Many parents doubt their ability to direct their children and may even doubt their right to demand obedience.”
Hey Parents, Camp is Over… Now What?
July 23, 2014 by Kevin Carson
“Summer camp. For many of us who are parents, it is only a fond memory. Some of my greatest spiritual decisions and lifelong friends were made at camp. Perhaps you never had the opportunity to experience the fun, excitement and spiritual challenge of a church summer camp. The goal of camp is to take young people to a setting where they can be with other Christian youth, sit under the preaching of the Word, be involved with youth counselors, participate in fun activities, and primarily seek for them to make spiritual decisions regarding Christ and life. The challenge every year for all the campers is making those decisions stick once home.”
When Children say “I’m Bored”
July 12, 2017 by Julie Lowe
“We have a common crisis in our home; it is the calamity of boredom. Our children might even consider it a catastrophe. “I’m bored” is repeated so often it would not be an overstatement to say that these words echo continuously throughout our home especially during any break from school. These are children with limited media time but still children with a Wii and Xbox system, a pool outside our door, multiple games, toys, and other planned activities. Yet “I’m bored” rolls off our children’s tongues with great frequency and displeasure.”
Does Proverbs Promise My Child Will Not Stray?
August 20, 2015 by John Piper
“Podcast listener Brenda Rodgers writes in: “Pastor John, I have a 22-month-old daughter, and I’m already teaching her about Jesus and sharing my faith with her. However, recently I’ve heard about many adult children who grew up in strong Christian homes — some who even had parents who were leaders in the church — who eventually left the faith as adults. This has become my biggest fear for my own daughter. Can you explain the verse Proverbs 22:6 and give me some practical ways I can help my daughter have a true, authentic relationship with Jesus — one that she will not abandon later on?”
Four Ways to Bring “Honoring Parents” Into the Modern World
October 5, 2017 by Susan Blake
“The Ten Commandments get a bad rap—even, sometimes, in Christian circles. Seen as a list of archaic rules, seemingly out of step with the concepts of Christian freedom outlined in the New Testament, many Christians have forgotten the Ten Commandments. For example, how many Christians do you know who could recite all ten? How many, for that matter, could locate them in the Bible?”
What Will Your Child Remember About You?
2014 by Steve Burchett
“When my first child was just a baby, I’m sure my mindset was something like, “I might have 18 to 20 years with this gift from God. That’s plenty of time to train her up in the way she should go (Proverbs 22:6).” But the older she and her siblings get, the more I find myself saying, “Where has all the time gone? They are getting so big, so quickly!” I have yet to meet a conscientious parent who didn’t feel the same way.”