Christian Parenting Today articles from December 2005

Christian Parenting Today archives from December 2005

In charge, outta control.(From My Home to Yours)(Editorial)
December 22, 2005... Motherhood has taught me many things, but one stands out: being in charge and being in control are two totally different things. This lesson was reinforced just this past Sunday when I saw that while I may be in charge of getting my kids to...

A special blessing.(Letter to the Editor)
December 22, 2005... I cannot tell you how much the Fall 2005 issue touched my life. On a day when I had been feeling very discouraged about three different areas of my life, I read three articles that specifically related to my areas of struggle. I love CPT, and I...

The great debate.(Letters from Home)(Letter to the Editor)
December 22, 2005... As a mom of two girls, I really enjoyed "Going Public." When our children were young, we wrestled with the question of whether to homeschool or send them to public or private school. Eventually, we decided public was the way to go. God is good...

Kid connections.(Letter to the Editor)
December 22, 2005... As a grandparent and a parent educator, I found "Set for Life" to be right on target. One of the tragedies I see daily is that parents spend so much time and effort providing things for their children that they spend little time with their...

Sabbath keeping.(Letters from Home)(Letter to the Editor)
December 22, 2005... "Keeping It Holy" was a great article. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I can attest to the rest and sanctity--not to mention blessings--that keeping this 24-hour period brings. It's a blessing that most Christians have lost sight of today. The...

Make 'em laugh.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... I have to decide that I'll do my best not to lose my peace (or "cool") and that I will remain in control of my emotions so that the children don't have their behavior reinforced by my response to them. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If I'm...

Buckle up.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Mostly, I try to ignore them. Otherwise, if we're at home and my son's having a huge temper tantrum, I just pick him up and carry him to his room for a time out. He usually settles down pretty quickly. If we're out and about, he takes his time...

Pray them away.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Sometimes just walking out of the room helps. But I usually try to think about what time of day it is: Is it naptime? Is my son tired? Hungry? Have I not spent enough time with him that day? This helps me understand the reason for the tantrum...

Keep them at bay.(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... I try my best to keep tantrums from happening in the first place. I have three things on my "temper tantrum watch": sleepiness, boredom, and lack of attention from me. If I catch one of these early, I can usually keep moods from escalating. ...

Boycott the performance.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Really, it all depends on where and when the tantrum happens. Lately, with my preschooler, I ignore her and let her know that her behavior won't work with me. When that fails--and many times it does--I'll pick her up, put her in her room,...

Teach the moment.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... I try to use their tantrums as an opportunity to explain that it's okay to express how you feel as long as you do it respectfully. It's okay if you get frustrated or even a little loud when you are truly upset, but it's not okay to do or to say...

Take responsibility.(Tempering the Tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... When the root of the tantrum is a major meltdown resulting from stress and fatigue, I try to handle it with understanding and patience. These happen when we have been running errands all day, skipped a nap, are late for a meal, or when bedtime...

Give it time.(tempering the tantrum)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... My little girl is a bit young for temper tantrums. At 10 months, I'm still able to divert her attention rather quickly. For instance, right now she really wants to help me write this answer. Since she just wants my attention, I'm going to stop...

Fun Stuff.(Family Time with God from Awana)(Calendar)
December 22, 2005... How to use this section: On this page, you'll find Fun Stuff, monthly activities for your family. On the pages that follow, you'll find more activities while learning a new Bible verse each week. The verses are divided into three parts:...

What God Wants for Christmas.(What God Wants for Christmas: An Interactive Kid-Friendly Nativity)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... What God Wants for Christmas An Interactive Kid-Friendly Nativity (FamilyLife), $14,99,30-page booklet with pop-up manger scene. The anticipation of the season will be heightened when your family participates in this fun,...

God's Creation Series: Fish, Bugs & Birds (Book 4).(God's Creation Series: Fish, Bugs and Birds, vol. 4 )(Brief Article)(Children's Review)
December 22, 2005... God's Creation Series: Fish, Bugs & Birds (Book 4) (Zonderkidz), $7.99, 35 pages, (ages 6 and up). Science was hands-down my least favorite subject growing up, but I have read enough parenting articles to know that there are several...

My Only Child: There's No One Like You.(Children's Review)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... My Only Child, There's No One Like You by Dr. Kevin Leman and Kevin Leman II (Revell), $12.99, 32 pages (ages 4-8). About a year ago, after a lot of prayer and discussion, my husband and I came to terms with the reality that our...

How to Lead Your Child to Christ.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
December 22, 2005... How to Lead Your Child to Christ by Robert & Bobbie Wolgemuth (Tyndale), $14.99, 106 pages, includes music CD. Of all the expectations we place on ourselves as parents, few compare to our desire for our children to know and follow...

The 'fast listening' plan.(discipline matters)(Interview)
December 22, 2005... Q. How can I stop my child from arguing every time I ask her to do something? A family came to see me recently with a similar problem. Megan Williams (names have been changed) is a 10-year-old girl who has a mind of her own and isn't...

Quiet time.(reflections on Christmas and the family)(prayer)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Dear Heavenly Father, What a wonderful world you have created! Each day is a miracle, and I'm grateful for its gifts: sleds and snowflakes; frosty nights that glitter with stars; holidays and togetherness; hot chocolate with marshmallows....

My son's a cyber-spud.(Creative Correction)(Interview)
December 22, 2005... Q. My teenage son spends hours on the Internet instant-messaging his friends. Although we monitor the sites he visits (and have protective software on his computer), I'm worried he's spending so much time online that he's missing out on other...

Volunteer training: get your kids to give their time.(volunteering)
December 22, 2005... At three years old, my son made the worst sandwiches in the world. The bologna would hang off the bread, the cheese ended up in a ball, and the lettuce, well, that was typically picked off the floor and thrown away. Never mind that it would...

'A conspicuous family': the Marcelos represent three races in four people--and praise God for it.(Phil and Karen Marcelo)(Interview)
December 22, 2005... The Marcelo Family Phil, 35 years old Magazine designer Karen, 43 years old Medical executive Nathan, 3 years old Maggie, 16 months old Married: 6 years Hometown: Geneva, IL CPT: Your family represents...

Energy to praise! Four ways to get your preschooler singing, dancing, and shouting for the Lord.
December 22, 2005... What squiggles, squirms, are loud, in constant motion, and full of joy and passion from the time they get up in the morning to the time they fall asleep at night? That's right: preschoolers! Any parent of a preschool-age child knows his energy...

The good, the bad, & the filter: seven ways to help screen culture's impurities from your children's minds.(moral education)
December 22, 2005... By the time a child graduates from high school, she's watched 22,000 hours of TV. That includes 16,000 televised homicides and 640,000 commercials, according to J. Kerby Anderson, national director of Probe Ministries. Add to that thousands of...

Creating a keepsake: prayerfully personalizing a Bible for your children gives them a treasure to live by.(scrapbook)
December 22, 2005... Recently, my mother gave me her prized strand of beautiful, hand-crafted silver beads that she purchased on a trip to Mexico years ago. She always wore these beads against a solid black dress or sweater, creating the most dramatic affect. ...

Body wars: culture tells our daughters they're fat, ugly, and unlovable. Here are 5 ways to defeat those lies and make your child feel as beautiful as she is.(parenting jobs)
December 22, 2005... My friend Barb recently asked her daughter what she wanted for her high-school graduation gift. Positive that Tessa would ask for something extravagant--a diamond ring, a laptop computer, or a trip to the ocean--Barb braced herself. But...

Is your son in danger?(body-image dissatisfaction)(Brief Article)
December 22, 2005... Parents of boys aren't free from the trouble of body-image dissatisfaction. The National Eating Disorders Association states that approximately 10 percent of all eating disorders are maleoriented. And a recent study published in the journal...

'Have I ever told you about ...?' How sharing personal stories strengthens your family ties.(mother-child relations)
December 22, 2005... My adventure into personal storytelling began with a question from my eldest son: "Mom, did you ever do anything wrong when you were a kid?" It had been a rough morning when eight-year-old Joshua popped that question. Though simple, it caught...

Learning to let go: how Christian dads can negotiate the terrain between protecting our kids and trusting God.
December 22, 2005... It was 20 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. One Sunday morning at church, a rosebud lay on the Communion table announcing the arrival of a newborn baby, and near it lay a bouquet of brightly colored flowers put there by proud...

The naked truth: authentically revealing our emotions can be a gift to others--and an honest response to God.
December 22, 2005... The other day my three-year-old, Charli, loaded her crayons and coloring books into her pink Hello Kitty backpack. I asked, "Honey, what are you doing?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I'm playing school, Mom," she responded, sitting down to...