Parenting in the digital age does not have to be scary.My oldest son got his first gaming device when he was six years old. It was a gift. And I was pretty sure that it was going to be the end of all that was right in his world.I had read the studies on screen time and limited his exposure to television from the day he was born. This gaming system that had now entered our home was a direct violation of any early childhood brain research I had ever read, the antithesis of all that I ... continue reading...
6 Lessons I Learned in Peru That Have Changed My Life
I spent 10 days in Peru last month with 19 youth and five adults. I learned some valuable lessons that have impacted my life forever.My daughter Bridget was planning to go to Peru with the youth group in June. Not long after she committed, the coordinator called me to explain their need for another female leader.What? Yes! If I'm needed, I'll go!It was the first mission trip for both Bridget and me.Besides Alpaca stuffed animals and food for the family to taste, I brought ... continue reading...
Do You Need a Social Media Detox?
I’m embarrassed to tell you how much time, attention and mental energy something as small as 2.64 inches wide and 5.44 inches tall has taken up in my days. I’m embarrassed to tell you how much time it has occupied my hands. As I raise two impressionable little girls, I start to notice how it’s affecting them now. I remember when my first was just a few months old, I was conscious of how my phone use could affect her but thought I still had plenty of time before she noticed to figure it out. ... continue reading...
How to Challenge Your Teen to Read and Enjoy Better Books
Would you like to see your teens read more books that would challenge their thinking and broaden their horizons? How about helping them learn to gather life lessons from the fiction they devour? Here’s an easy way: offer a reward your teen can’t refuse.One family I know offers their teens this challenge: read 25 books from a prepared list and write a 1-page report for each book. As a reward, each teen has the opportunity to receive a slightly used but reliable car. What 16-year-old wouldn’t ... continue reading...
What I Missed at 20 That I Can See Now That I’m 40
My diploma was still in an unopened manilla envelope on my apartment desk when I stood in front of a crowd of 300 sets of smiling eyes to tell them about what I’d committed to doing for the rest of my life. Though I didn’t say it in so many words, at twenty-two I knew I wanted to change the world for God.It was the night of our ministry fundraising banquet and I was in high heels and a brand new pencil skirt, dressed like I felt. Pulled together, tight, and ready to inspire.I arrived at ... continue reading...
When Screen Time Is An Addiction in Your Home
When you offer two hours of playing time and that two hours is up, and whining and complaining ensue...your children may be addicted. If children fight over and cannot agree on a movie to watch, screen time addiction may be present. When your children consistently ask or try to bargain for more screen time, your children may be addicted to the screen. When your children have poor attitudes and often fight with one another, this, too, can be caused by too much screen time (withdraw effects). I ... continue reading...
15 Ways to Say You Love Him…Without Ever Saying A Word
Our husbands need to hear 'I love you' in ways that are unspoken, through our actions.I'm not sure that I understood the man's mind when we first got married. Or maybe I should say understood his masculine heart.I mean, I thought I did . . . but it turned out I had a lot to learn.Lots and lots.Basically, clueless.I figured mostly what I needed to do was to look up at him with adoring eyes and occasionally say, "I love you" and that about covered it.It had worked so ... continue reading...
How Limiting My Toddler’s TV Time Made Me a More Productive Mom
This post is part of a series on setting boundaries with technology that will bless your home life. See more here.My daughter watched her first TV show at 18 months old. I found The Hungry Caterpillar on Netflix, and she was smitten! I was smitten too: It bought me a precious 30 minutes without a toddler at my feet. Soon, I allowed a morning and afternoon “TV time” each session creeping up to an hour. It seemed harmless, and in many ways it was. I am a work-from-home mom running my own ... continue reading...
Resources To Help Parents Navigate Technology With Their Kids
My Mac-geek roommate breezed in with her laptop firmly clutched under one arm and observed me in my natural habitat that first semester at college - sitting at the desk under my lofted bed doing homework. Settling in at her own desk, she casually asked if I had been on Facebook lately.I’m sure my blank stare was answer enough because she came over straight away to help me set up my account, explaining the concept of this college-only social site as she tapped away at my keyboard. That was ... continue reading...
Raising Daughters to Say Yes to God
It was just a few days before I was scheduled to board a plane and head to Uganda for 12 days with Sole Hope, an organization offering hope and freedom from foot related diseases. I was excited about this opportunity but there was no doubt that I was going to miss the comfort of my life and the faces that make my days complete.“It's only 12 days.”I kept reminding myself. When God Calls Us As a family, we sat around the kitchen table to go over the details of my trip. The floor was open ... continue reading...
The Simplest Way to Pass On Your Faith to Your Kids
As your children grow, how can you help their faith grow so they one day own it as their own?I’m not sure when it happened exactly, but I knew something needed to change in how I taught my kids the gospel. I guess it was about the time they began to notice my furrowed brow, the time their ears started to discern the change in pitch, the slightest tension in their mother’s voice when life got tiring or frustrating or difficult.It seemed easy before that. Read them a few cute Bible ... continue reading...
12 Powerful Verses to Pray Over Our Children {with free printable}
I would never have guessed what parenting would do for my prayer life. My pre-conceived notion was that parenting was about making peanut butter sandwiches and tucking kids into bed at night. About kissing boo-boos and reminding them to close the front door. And mostly about being kind to others and learning to love God.About loving, correcting, supporting, cheering, and then loving them some more.But I can see now that parenting is also a whole lot about prayer.And for a while ... continue reading...
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