Christian Parenting Today articles from September 2005

Christian Parenting Today archives from September 2005

A fresh start.(preschools)
September 22, 2005... I love the back-to-school season--even though it's been 12 years since starting school has played a role in my life. Ever since I was a little girl, when this time of year meant trips to the drug store with my dad to get new Bic pens, heavy...

No room in the day? Here's a hands-on way to show your kids that there's always room for Jesus.
September 22, 2005... Moms have always had to multitask; it's a basic survival skill. But kids today have to do the same thing. I've long worried that as my family gets busier, my kids will think they just don't have time for Jesus in their lives. But one day, as...

HoopDogz: Stealing's Uncool!(Video Recording Review)
September 22, 2005... HoopDogz: Stealing's Uncool! (Cartoon Pizza), $12.99 VHS, $14.99 DVD (ages 3-8). The creators of "PB & J Otter," "Stanley," and my son's favorite, "JoJo's Circus," released the second video in their new HoopDogz series. Each...

The Case of Stuart's Ship.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Case of Stuart's Ship by Stan Toler & Debra White Smith (Randall House), $14.99,32 pages (ages 4-8). As an adult, even I tend to view stewardship as nothing more than giving my tithe to the church. But reading this book to my son...

This Is No Fairy Tale.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... This Is No Fairy Tale by Dale Tolmasoff (Crossway), $15.99, 40 pages (ages 5-12). As a parent, it's great to rediscover fairy tales from our youth while introducing them to our children. Most fairy tales create a great opportunity to...

Red Rock Mysteries: Haunted Waters.(Brief Article)(Children's Review)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Red Rock Mysteries: Haunted Waters by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry (Tyndale), $5.99,202 pages (ages 8-12). Bryce and Ashley Timberline are middle school-aged twins adjusting to some major life changes: their father's death by...

The Mommy Manual.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis (Revell), $12.99,249 pages (moms). A Montessori-trained teacher with 35 years of mothering experience, Barbara Curtis has the prerequisites to be a "mommy expert." She is mom to 12 children 7 still at...

Home Improvement.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Home Improvement by Scott Turansky & Joanne Miller (Life Journey), $11.99,192 pages, (parents). Let's face it, when parenting, the occasional burst of anger, frustration, or stress is inevitable. Good parenting skills can go a long way...

Help! There's a Teenager in My House.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Help! There's a Teenager in My House edited by Wayne Rice (InterVarsity Press), $13.99, 228 pages (parents). As director of Understanding Your Teenager, a seminar program, Wayne Rice receives thousands of questions from parents of teens...

Overweight Kids.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... Overweight Kids by Dr. Linda Mintle (Integrity Family), $14.99, 240 pages (parents). With more than 9 million children in America overweight, the National Institute of Health has declared childhood obesity an epidemic. Weight problems in...

We Should Do This More Often.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
September 22, 2005... We Should Do This More Often by Lorilee Craker (WaterBrook), $21.99, 203 pages (parents). When I was pregnant, a co-worker and veteran mom passed me a copy of Lorilee Craker's O for a Thousand Nights to Sleep. In those blurry first days...

Fun stuff.(games for children)(Calendar)
September 22, 2005... Boredom Medicine (August 2) Buy some colored paper and clean out a medium-sized plastic jar. Cut the paper into small pieces and have everyone write a fun activity on each one. Fold the papers and put them into the jar. Whenever you...

August: animals in the Bible.(Calendar)
September 22, 2005... sunday monday tuesday wednesday Week 1 The Dove Mark 1:11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased." 1 2 ...

September: out with the old, in with the new.(Calendar)
September 22, 2005... sunday monday tuesday wednesday Week 1 Sacrifices Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 4 5 6 7...

October: behaving as children of God.(Calendar)
September 22, 2005... sunday monday tuesday wednesday Week 1 Children of God I John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the...

Just a touch.(child discipline)
September 22, 2005... Q. Whenever I punish my kids, I feel so distant from them. I hate this! Is there any way I can discipline them while still feeling close? I recently talked to a woman with a similar problem: Jennifer adores her three children....

I worry too much.(parenting)
September 22, 2005... Q. I constantly worry about my two kids. Sometimes I lie awake at night thinking about all the things that could go wrong or harm them. Even praying about my concerns doesn't seem to ease my mind. Any suggestions for this anxious mom? A....

How do Christians know we're right?(children's religious thinking)
September 22, 2005... Q. My 12-year-old came to me last night wondering how she can be sure that Christianity is truth--when it's all she's ever known. She argued that if she had been raised in a Hindu house-hold, she'd probably see that as truth. In this day of...

The joys of boys: every day, Brent and Betty Vander Ark face challenges--and victories--in parenting their four sons and fighting the disease that affects one of them.(Interview)
September 22, 2005... The Vander Ark Family Brent Vander Ark, 33 Business Executive Betty Vander Ark, 32 Full-time Mom Married: 10 years Hometown: Overland Park, Kansas [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CPT: You have four sons. What are...

Keepin' it holy: how honoring the Sabbath helps you remember what's really important.
September 22, 2005... In our frantic, frenetic society, where first-graders are in football leagues and children carry PDAs and Day-Timers to keep up with elementary-school extracurriculars, we need to "remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy" (Exodus 20:8)...

Whose child is that? What to do when you see your worst faults in your child.
September 22, 2005... Where are my keys?" my teenaged son yelled as he stormed through the house. "They've got to be somewhere!" As he flung newspapers across the living room, he fumed with increasing drama: "They don't just walk away! Has anybody seen my keys?!"...

Going public: parents have a lot of thinking to do regarding education. Here's how one family followed God to school.
September 22, 2005... From the day my husband, David, and I found out we were expecting our first child, we had choices to make. Find out the baby's sex, or be surprised? (Find out. I just had to know what color to paint that nursery!) Trendy name, or family name?...

Creating refuge: how to provide security for your family in an age of terrorism and war.
September 22, 2005... Editor's note: On the morning of September 11, 2001, I sat in a conference room at this magazine's headquarters with about 30 colleagues. We had gathered in the conference room to watch news coverage as talk of terrorism slipped down the...

Taking the lead: mock me if you must, but that little boy at the end of my leash is a gift I almost lost.
September 22, 2005... Never judge a mother by the leash to which her child is connected. At least, that's what I now firmly believe. But I'm a hypocrite. You see, after years of eyeing mothers who led their children on leashes, snickering and pointing behind their...

Positively parenting: how a coach can help you get a first-class family.(an interview with Jennifer Mangan, a certified "parent coach")(Interview)
September 22, 2005... The other night, after coming home to the not-so-warm welcome of yet another bedtime battle between me and my three-year-old son, my husband tried to lighten the mood by asking: "What would Supernanny do?" [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A...

High hopes for high school: what you need to help your child succeed.
September 22, 2005... Remember high-school football games, pep rallies, yearbooks, and proms? What about finals, term papers, and college entrance exams? You may have gotten your driver's license, gone on your first date, worked summer jobs, and maybe even bought...

The battle of the baby bulge: after months of fighting my weight, how I finally surrendered and won.
September 22, 2005... When I was pregnant with my first child, I happily indulged in all my cravings. It started innocently enough--an extra bowl of cereal in the middle of the night, a bag of Goldfish crackers here and there, waffles with hot, buttery syrup for...

Quiet time.(praying to god)(Brief Article)
September 22, 2005... Dear Heavenly Father, In this season of autumn, of transition, I come to you longing for reassurance. You've given these precious little ones into my care--each of them as unique as a fingerprint. But how can I ever be equal to the task...

Set for life: connecting with your kids today prepares them for what's ahead.
September 22, 2005... I know when my 12-year-old daughter, Lexi, finally falls asleep at night--her mouth stops moving! She's been a chatterbox since birth and sometimes, out of sheer self-preservation, I tune out. But she's on to my game. Just as I'm about to...

In the blink of an eye: why I cherish every moment with my kids.
September 22, 2005... I forget who warned me not to blink. But I now realize it was someone who knew what he was talking about. How I wish I had heeded that fellow father's caution. But, alas, I didn't. In the millisecond it takes an eyelid to flutter shut and...

A wonder-full job: motherhood brings with it all kinds of questions and anxiety. Can we ever learn to find rest in God?
September 22, 2005... Last Tuesday at 3 A.M. we revisited the four glasses of blueberry juice Charli enjoyed before bedtime. After several minutes of throwing up and a warm bath to rinse off the residue, she drifted off to sleep. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In...