Christian Parenting Today articles from September 2003

Christian Parenting Today archives from September 2003

Good to grow.(Parent to Parent)
September 22, 2003... Before last month, I'd made it through most of my children's milestones without getting too weepy about how quickly time is passing. Then my 6-year-old daughter lost her first tooth. When she came running to show me that her reeeaaaly loose...

The great debate.(Letters from Home)(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2003... Thank you for the article "Should I Spank My Child?" which mirrors what I've tried to live by for years. I decided not to spank my own children when I was a child myself. I hated what my parents did to me in the name of discipline. I've been a...

We do devos.(Letters from Home)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... Thank you for providing such a simple and fun way to get started with family devotions ("Family Time with God")! My children, ages 6 and 9, and I are using your calendar to start our day off with the right focus. We are having fun memorizing...

A mom moment.(Letters from Home)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... The article, "Moms Are People, Too" ("Mom's Journal") hit the nail on the head for me. I am a mother of four young children and while I know there is no more joyous job than mothering, I do long for time to myself. I actually feel a great loss...

Family camp.(Letters from Home)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... We loved the article about camping, "Go Wild!" As a family about to reduce our income by more than half (my wife is about to become a stay-at-home mom), we're looking for ways to continue our family getaways within a budget. via e-mail

Smart start.(Letters from Home)(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2003... I appreciated the article about multiple intelligences ("A Different Kind of Smart"). It helped us to understand and appreciate the God-given differences in our children, students, and fellow adults. When Howard Gardner first framed the various...

Devos they'll do.(Home Pages)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... In our family, one of the first casualties of our busy lives is family devotions. But lately God has been reminding me that quieting our spirits and coming together before God is an essential part of our family life. And it's up to us as...

Count on counting.(Ideas That Work)(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2003... My 9-year-old was going through a phase where she argued with me about everything I asked her to do. Rather than going into my usual explanation of why she needed to listen and obey, I started simply saying, "That's one. "lf she argued again,...

The voice of God.(Life In Our House)(Letter to the Editor)
September 22, 2003... I was at the grocery store with my 4-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, when we heard an announcement over the PA saying, "Elizabeth, please report to the bread section." I continued walking through the aisle, but my daughter looked at me and said,...

Oh baby!(Home Pages)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... Anew baby in the family brings about tremendous changes for your preschooler. While every child will handle the transition to siblinghood in his own way, there are steps you can take to ease your child's shift from only child to oldest child....

Safe keeping.(Home pages)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... Child abduction. It's every parent's worst nightmare. But when it comes to preventing child abduction, knowledge is power, says Dr. Bunni Tobias, a licensed educational psychologist in Lake Forest, California. Here are Dr. Tobias' tips on...

Lettuce pray mommy!(Life In Our House)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... One day I asked my 3-year-old, Joshua, if I was a good mommy. I was expecting a resounding yes, but he surprised me when he said, "Mommy, no." I asked how I could be a better mom and he replied," Give more happy feelings, pray to God, and make...

A teachable heart.(Family Night Fun)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... (Ages 5 and up) Point: If we want to be wise, we need to be teachable. Gather: Your family's favorite game or movie, and a Bible. Go: Watch the movie or play the game. In the middle of this activity, make a simple request to one of...

Weekly hang-ups.(Ideas That Work)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... My 6-year-old brings home endless art projects and paperwork from school. Rather than throw everything out or saving it all, we hang up her art and any other work she's especially proud of for a week. The next week, she helps me take everything...

What are your kids teaching you?(Brief Article)
September 22, 2003... I have never yet heard a good parent not admit to the fact that our children raise us more than we raise them. What if that were not only true, but actually shaped our interactions with our kids? Every child requires us to answer the two core...

First Virtues for Toddlers.(Book Review)
September 22, 2003... series Piglet Tells the Truth Kitty Shows Kindness Bunny Loves Others Duckling is Patient By Mary Manz Simon, illustrated by Dorothy Start and Linda Clearwater (Standard) $4.99 each, 20 pages each This new series will delight your...

Tough Stuff for Kids.(Book Review)
September 22, 2003... series I Have a Friend Monsters at Night Quit. Looking at Me That's Not Fair By Heather Gemmen, illustrated by Luciano Lagares (Cook) $5.99 each, 32 pages each Each of these books deals with a common childhood struggle--loneliness,...

Great Lessons in Virtue and Character.(Book Review)
September 22, 2003... Edited by William K. Kilpatrick (Baker) $19.99, 280 pages While this collection of animal stories is certainly suitable for younger children, the subtle messages about character might not really sink in until your child reaches the...

Calendar highlights.(Family Time with God from Awana)
September 22, 2003... One of the best ways parents can model a living, active relationship with Christ is to emphasize the importance of the Bible in day-to-day family life. These calendar pages from Awana can help you do just that! The verses are divided into three...

Making the break.(Church Life)
September 22, 2003... If you've never left your toddler in the care of others, you might find that it can be traumatic for both parent and child. But eventually, most parents opt for having their little ones play in the church nursery for at least a portion of the...

When "no" isn't enough.(early childhood)
September 22, 2003... Q. Now that our baby is 2, we're seeing that he needs more effective discipline than just us saying "no no" to him. What's the best way for us to curb his behavior? A. The fact that you are willing to adapt your discipline to meet your...

Living in another world.(elementary)
September 22, 2003... Q. Our daughter is in second grade and she's already starting to notice that other children see movies she's not allowed to see, talk about sex in ways she's been taught are wrong, and use language she knows is inappropriate. How can we help...

Crazy days.(preteen)
September 22, 2003... Q. Our kids are II and 13 and they're making us nuts! Please help us find something unique and positive about our kids. A. I hear this question from so many parents. They're frustrated with not understanding their preteens. The child who...

Making mentors.(teen)
September 22, 2003... Q. Our 16-year-old daughter is a great kid, but she doesn't always listen to our guidance and advice. It seems like she's tired of our input: and frankly, we're tired of nagging her. What can we do? A. For many teenagers, the mere fact...

Connect with your kids: 8 great ways to build a better bond.
September 22, 2003... 8 great ways to build a better bond I thought I was close to my kids. Then I bought my daughter a toothbrush. That's when I found out how clueless I really was. "Mom! A Barbie toothbrush! How could you buy me a Barbie toothbrush?"...

The ABCs of prayer: helping children talk to God can be as easy as A-B-C. Use this simple guide to add some spark to your family's prayer life.
September 22, 2003... Adore God. Start the day by showing God love and honor. Greet God in prayer with words that show you love God and know he is wonderful. Talk about words that describe God, such as all-powerful, loving, and creative, then use those words in...

House warming: plan a family-friendly blessing for your new home.
September 22, 2003... It was a Sunday night worship experience I'll never forget. There was singing, Scripture reading, and heartfelt prayer. No, it wasn't at church. It wasn't even a church service. It was a house blessing at the home of our close friends. The...

Going public: how to make the most of your child's public school experience.
September 22, 2003... Kathy dreaded the meeting with Brian's teacher. She wanted to try once more to end the almost daily bullying her 9-year-old son endured. Yet in their past meetings on the issue, the teacher seemed not to recognize the behavior as bullying....

Grace rules! How we brought God into our discipline style.
September 22, 2003... As the father of four, I've seen my share of bad attitudes. Yet for some reason, I'm still caught off guard when one of my children responds to a parental request with a sarcastic remark or a roll of the eyes. Take the other day, for example. I...

Private-eye parents? Your teenager wants privacy; you want answers. Should you butt in or back off?
September 22, 2003... Think about this: You're checking your family e-mail, and you notice one intended for your 13-year-old son. It's from someone you've never heard of, so you open it. It says, "Hey, Alan, you're not gonna wimp out on Friday, are you? We're all...

Hammer and nails: a simple lesson in anger management.
September 22, 2003... Devil or angel, I can't make up my mind." The words to that sappy old love song have often reminded me of my son's childhood. Now that I'm a great-grandmother, I look back on his younger years and wonder how we ever would have survived without...

Time out for parents.(On the Family Front)
September 22, 2003... Q. My husband and I both feel it's important to spend special time alone together, but our 3-year-old constantly interrupts. After she's in bed, we typically run around trying to pick up or take care of things we can't get to during the day. We...

Preteen "dating".(On the Family Front)
September 22, 2003... Q. We need some biblical guidance on preteens "going together" Our 12-year-old likes a boy at her school and wants to "go" with him. It seems "going together" is really just a term her friends use for two people who like each other--our...

Boy crazy.(On the Family Front)
September 22, 2003... Q. Our 6-year-old is completely boy crazy. She loves attention from boys of all ages and spends a great deal of time primping in front of the mirror before going anywhere. She often begs me to let her wear bright red dress-up lipstick to church...

The little things: 5 simple ways to let your kids know you love 'em.(A Father's Heart)
September 22, 2003... We busy dads are always looking for new ways to grow closer to our kids. Sometimes we think we need tons of time to make this connection--like regular "date nights" with each child or weekend camping trips with just Dad and the kids. Dates and...

Rear window: a lesson in love ... from the bottom up.(Mom's Journal)
September 22, 2003... The other day my husband welcomed me home from the grocery store with this somber greeting: "Go look at your son." A million possibilities whirling through my mind, I rushed in to find 9-year-old Chandler sprawled across an ottoman on his...