Christian Parenting Today articles from March 2005

Christian Parenting Today archives from March 2005

Think spring.(From My House to Yours)
March 22, 2005... In my neck of the woods--Chicago--Mother Nature doesn't often provide the quintessential balmy weather we long for when we've got our kids all decked out for Easter. More often than not, it's blustery, gloomy, and downright chilly! But when...

God Made Me: The Story of Creation.(Children's Review)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... God Made Me: The Story of Creation (Integrity), $9.99, 16 pages (children 0-2). I love books for kids that offer you more than just the story. And this book certainly does that. From the fuzzy baby's head that infants can rub to the...

A Heart for Jesus.(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... A Heart for Jesus by Juanita Bynum (Charism Kids), $14.99, 24 pages (ages 2-6). After a young girl's mom tells her she "gave her heart to Jesus," this book takes us through the girl's desire to learn what that means. The story explains...

The Giving Book.(Children's Review)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... The Giving Book by Ellen Sabin (Watering Can), $19.95,64 pages (ages 6-11). At first it was darling when my son started pleading, "But I want it!" every time we passed tasty treats in the grocery store or zippy toys at Target. But as any...

Spirit of the Game: Goal-Line Stand.(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Spirit of the Game: Goal-Line Stand by Todd Hafer (ZonderKidz), $4.99, 133 pages (ages 8-12). As I sat down with this book, my husband, clearly captivated by the cover, asked, "Whatcha reading?" I told him it was a book about...

Webster, the Scaredy Spider.(Audiovisual Review)
March 22, 2005... Webster, the Scaredy Spider (Max Lucado Kids/Tommy Nelson DVD) $14.99, 100 minutes (ages 2-8). I thought I'd hate what works best about this star-stud-ded (Don Knotts, Tim Conway, and Vicky Lawrence) video in the Hermie and Friends...

Seeds of Faith.(Sound Recording Review)
March 22, 2005... Seeds of Faith (Good Seeds LLC), $12.99, 30 minutes. Everyone knows music is a great memory tool. I can sing the entire score to many Broadway musicals--but remember a verse I memorized last week? Forget it! And what's more important to...

Naked Fruit: Getting Honest About the Fruit of the Spirit.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... Naked Fruit: Getting Honest About the Fruit of the Spirit by Elisa Morgan (Revell), $14.99, 168 pages. While the title, Naked Fruit, isn't that appetizing (nudity and food just do not go together!), this book satisfies. Elisa Morgan...

The Power of Teachable Moments.(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... The Power of Teachable Moments by Jim Weidmann and Marianne Hering (Tyndale House), $12.99, 247 pages. I probably pass up about a thousand teachable moments every day because I'm usually not prepared to identify them or clueless about...

A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex.(Young Adult Review)(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex by Kevin Leman and Kathy Flores Bell (Zondervan), $16.99, 214 pages. Afraid of "The Talk"? Now "chicken" parents can rejoice--this book offers specific guidelines on the whys...

The Frazzled Factor: Relief for Working Moms.(Book Review)
March 22, 2005... The Frazzled Factor: Relief for Working Moms by Karol Ladd and Jane Jarrell (W Publishing Group), $14.99, 224 pages. Whether you work 9-to-5 outside the home, job share, work from home, or volunteer, you probably feel as though you're...

Fashion-diva daughter: how can we get her to dress more modestly?(Ask Lisa)
March 22, 2005... Q. Our adolescent daughter spends hours figuring out what she's going to wear to school and shops constantly with her friends. She also wants to wear low-rider jeans and has bought some tiny T-shirts that barely skim her midriff. She tells me...

The power of praise.(Discipline Matters)
March 22, 2005... What would you like your child to think when he or she makes a good choice? A. Nothing at all. B. "That was the most stupid thing I've ever done." C. "That was great. I'm glad I did it. I should do that again!" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Daddy's secret addiction.(Tough Question)(parent child relations)
March 22, 2005... Q. How do I explain to my child that his father's pornography addiction is behind our marital separation? A. When a father drinks or is physically abusive, the effects of his problem are painfully obvious even to children who often are...

When ADHD hits home: could we find hope in the midst of our son's behavior problems?(One Family's Story)(Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
March 22, 2005... Ross was born by emergency C-section. He came into the world grabbing our attention, and that's how he's conducted his life thus far. Even as a baby, Ross was extremely active and never seemed to need sleep. He's our firstborn, so we didn't...

Fun Stuff.(Family Time with God from Awana)
March 22, 2005... How to use this section: On this page, you'll find Fun Stuff, monthly activities for your family, and Did You Know, an interesting story to tell your kids. On the pages that follow, you'll find more activities while learning a new Bible verse...

Full house: meet Doug and Camille Johnson. They have a family of ten--and they wouldn't want it any other way.(Families)(Interview)
March 22, 2005... Doug Age: 41 Occupation: design director Camille Age: 40 Occupation: homeschooling mom Married: 18 years CPT: Let's do a quick role call. What are your kid's names and ages? Camille: Noah is 15, Chloe is 13, Zephan...

Quiet time.
March 22, 2005... Dear Heavenly Father, In spring, the time of new beginnings, help us look for fresh starts: in our parenting, our work, and our relationship with you. Let the revival in the earth parallel a revival in our souls. Let the fresh rain that...

It's no different than parenting girls--or is it?
March 22, 2005... I grew up like most little girls in America, dreaming of motherhood and playing with dolls. I had dolls that cried, dolls whose eyes opened and shut, even dolls that wet themselves. My dolls all had one thing in common--they were female. ...

Going to waist? Childhood obesity is on the rise. Here's how to help your child win the battle of the bulge.
March 22, 2005... As a physician, I've spent years treating overweight adults, conducting seminars, and teaching Bible studies on the connection between our physical and spiritual lives. So imagine my surprise when I discovered our ten-year-old daughter...

What Jordan taught: who knew God would use my GameBoy-playing son to show me more about himself?
March 22, 2005... I'm the perfect role model for my child--well, at least in my fantasies. Reality proves differently. I am often the poster parent for poor behavior, and my son is the GameBoy-playing, gum-smacking, sneaker-wearing moral compass pointing me to...

Carla's quest: former CPT editor Carla Barnhill searched for "the perfect mother"--and ended up redefining the roles--and worth--of weary Christian moms instead.(Interview)(Interview)
March 22, 2005... Unless you've been living in a bubble, you've probably heard about--if not watched--one of ABC television's breakout hits, the Sunday-night series, Desperate Housewives. In it, four suburbanites (and one prerequisite neighborhood floozy) live...

Way to pray! How to make the ACTS prayer method accessible to your child.(Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication)
March 22, 2005... When Norma Steven's four children were younger, she had a clever way to make them mind their manners. Using the tune to "Jesus Loves Me," Norma would sing, "Please and thank you, pardon me, very little words you see, yet they can distinctly...

Unfulfilled expectations: what happens when you find yourselves blindsided by secondary infertility?
March 22, 2005... Our first son was born in 1995, an "accident" who turned out to be our "miracle baby." You hear about couples who try for years to conceive and finally--after months and months and months--have the child of their dreams, their miracle baby....

Emergency landings: are you prepared to handle your family's everyday emotional crises?(A Father's Heart)
March 22, 2005... It's been my honor to meet some of the finest fathers in our country who also are helping to win the war on terror. One such dad, an F-16 fighter pilot, shared how a "routine" flight over the Arabian Desert turned into something far...

Red alert: what message are you giving off?(Mom's Journal)
March 22, 2005... Your daughter's a little firecracker, isn't she?" a fellow mom commented after watching my three-year-old, Charli, dart about a birthday party exuding her usual "don't mess with this diva" attitude. The term "firecracker" certainly is...