Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her rejoice who gave birth to you. (Proverbs 23:25)

In this day and age, respect and manners have fallen by the wayside in pursuit of higher academic standards and materialism. We emphasize athletic ability and good grades, and reward such with more “stuff.” What about basic common courtesies?

My oldest son has been involved with robotics competitions for the past three years or so. For the last year, these classes have been held in my home. The most recent semester has been... more

Recently, I blogged about the fact that my oldest has been asking to do more things independently online. One of my suggestions was to educate your child about your internet usage rules, but that advice can be expanded to apply to any "sensitive topic."

That said, here are some tips for handling “difficult conversations”:

• Pray: Ask that God give you wisdom, courage and that your child will have an open and receptive heart.

•... more

Yesterday, I wrote about our dilemma in choosing a birthday present for our son who will be 10 tomorrow. What did we decide?

After I posted my blog entry yesterday, the hubby read it. It convicted him, just as it convicted me in writing it. So, we decided to let things ride. Our local toy store had a huge clearance sale last week, and had hubby stocked up on a few things to hand out as rewards. Turns out he had quite a cache that will make for an exciting birthday for someone tomorrow!

He... more

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10)

I grew up living in public housing most of my pre-married life. I was always well fed, well clothed and had neat toys, same as the next kid. The only time I felt any “lack” was when I visited the homes of the kids I went to school with in the Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) program back in the 70’s. Because GATE was “experimental,” the classes were usually offered in schools located in affluent neighborhoods,... more

Today, my daughter danced in her first ballet recital, and to celebrate, we took her to brunch afterwards. As has been the case just about every single time we've dined in public with the kids, someone literally stopped me at their table to tell me (at length!) how well-behaved my children are and pleasant to have around. Wait-staff, too, have commented on this as well, and tell us how difficult it makes their vocation when they must serve children who are less considerate.

Now, we eat out – a lot! We dine out, seriously, at the very least, twice a... more

Chances are that churches all over the country, including yours, had the same topic today, Mother’s Day. Prior to a sermon about Mothers, the senior pastor called all of the children to the front of the church to have a talk with them. It was sort of an informal Bible lesson, where he explained to the children why they needed to obey their parents. He told the children that while they made many decisions everyday, some were not the right choices. He elaborated that while they were acquiring more knowledge everyday, they still lacked the experience required to make some... more

As a corollary to yesterday’s post about the Game of Life, I am reminded of a parable of Jesus:

Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he... more

"You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy 6:7).

The elders of the church we attend paid us a visit last night. They make it a point to visit every member of the congregation on a yearly basis to meet in the home of every member to see how things are going.

My husband serves as one of the deacons, so our family is very close to these elders. And, as we sat around comfortably talking, we... more

A little over a year ago, the little girl who would later become my daughter, got sent home with a note for her foster mother. The note stated that she had been taking things from class. Sadly, this wasn’t the first incident, either. She had taken money from some of the other kids.

Fast forward a few months later - after the adoption and her transition to her new home - stealing is still an issue. Albeit abated somewhat, but nonetheless, our daughter has been taking things without permission.

It’s a complex issue for us, as her parents, to deal with, because... more

Do your teenagers have a Christian radio station that they will actually listen to even when they are alone? Would they turn it on and listen to it if you didn’t make them. Would they switch to a different station if you left to go shopping? I guess if a radio station wanted to get teenagers to listen to their station they would probably have to play popular rock and rap songs, wouldn’t they. They might also need to offer concerts, contests, and prizes that would appeal to teenagers. I hadn’t thought about it much until last week when our Christian radio station... more