In an effort to teach our then four year old daughter responsibility and the value of hard work, my husband and I decided to start implementing daily chores. I remember explaining to her one day that she was a member of our family and old enough to begin contributing in some aspect. A big smile lit up her face as she eagerly agreed. The idea of helping out around the house made her feel like such a big girl! My little lady proved to be a hard worker over the next several months. It wasn’t until she was five years old and I assigned her some new chores that her eagerness slowly faded. A Strong Will Defined There was one new chore in particular that she was less than fond of: sweeping the kitchen. She absolutely hated to sweep the ... Read More...
5 Ways To Help Kids Accept and Value Correction
One of the best things we can give our children is the ability to think rightly about their faults and process their weaknesses well. How? It starts by teaching kids to accept and value correction. One of the jobs of correction is to reveal a character flaw, mistake, or sin. But when most children are faced with that reality, they often don't like it and don't know how to respond wisely. Some have a tendency to blame, rationalize, or even get angry to protect themselves from their own guilt. Some kids believe that being corrected is actually a sign of failure. But it's not correction itself that determines weakness; it's the response to the correction. So how do we help them understand the value of being corrected, so that we can break ... Read More...
6 Surprising Reasons Chores Are Good For Kids
A few days ago, I took my children with me on a weekly grocery shopping trip. They were eager to help with pushing and loading the cart, along with checking things off the list, as we went to not one, but two stores. It wasn't always this way, though. I used to be reluctant to let them help. I frequently picked up after my kids, cleaned their messes, and generally required very little of them. It worked well, for a little while. Until I realized they were always waiting and looking to me for... everything. I couldn't really be angry with them- I had been enabling their helplessness. Thankfully, my other half has expected much more from my kids. He pointed out that I can still serve my children without waiting on them hand and foot. No ... Read More...
7 Tools To Build Strong Relationships With Your Kids
Someone wisely said once, "Children don't rebel against rules; they rebel against a lack of relationship." Strong parent/child relationships are not only critical for your kids' spiritual formation, but also their success in life. Relationship is more than just living together as a family; it's a heart response. It implies a deeper connection that communicates, "I know you and I enjoy being around you." Building relationship is foundational for passing the faith on to your kids. It's the channel through which spiritual training becomes effective. If we're going to impress God's commands on our children's hearts as we "sit in our house and walk by the way and when we lie down and when we rise up", relationship simply isn't optional. But ... Read More...
6 Reasons Your Children Don’t Obey
We all want well behaved, obedient kids, and it's so disheartening and frustrating when they aren't. We're left wringing our hands, wondering why they don't listen to us. Unfortunately, the reasons for our children's disobedience may very well be our own fault. Without realizing it, our actions or beliefs can actually be the cause of our kids' rebellion. Ouch! You don’t expect them to Your kids act how you expect them to act. If your child repeatedly doesn’t listen or doesn't do what you ask of him, chances are you’ve trained him that way. Too many of us approach discipline flippantly and treat obedience from our children as optional. Ignoring direct disobedience can make a child vulnerable to an ongoing spirit of rebellion. So set ... Read More...
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