The heart is the center of all things. Inside a child’s heart are many things- certain issues they’re holding onto, feelings, things that bring them passion and joy, their experience of closeness or lack thereof to their parents, feelings of guilt or conviction and temptations...
One of the saddest things for parents is sibling conflict. You realize the long-term negative consequences of the fighting, teasing, and bickering between your kids. You want your children to have close relationships as they get older but it seems that they're determined to undermine...
Some children have a problem blaming others and not taking responsibility for their part of the problem. In the child's imagination, it's always someone else's fault. These children have the ability to see all kinds of reasons why an offense occurs but can't see their...
Conflict forces young people to wrestle with things in their hearts. Their desires, emotions, and beliefs get intertwined and they often aren’t thinking straight. Conflict also helps teens develop tools for handling differences in life. Three life skills are exercised in every conflict situation: Problem...
Unfortunately, many children don't realize when they've crossed the line from persistence to demandingness. That line is crossed when children value their issue as more important than the relationship. When a child yells at a parent or says unkind things because he doesn't get what...
The most-often-asked parenting question is, "What do I do when my kids act out in the grocery store?" It's frustrating when children throw tantrums, run away, whine, complain, or disobey in the store. It would be nice to have a little booklet entitled, "How to...
Waiting is hard. Whether it’s a new attitude or an annoying behavior that needs to stop. It takes time for a child’s heart to change. Waiting for God to change the heart requires patience, hope, and clear vision....
Firmness says that a boundary is secure and won’t be crossed without a consequence. Harshness, on the other hand, uses angry words and emotional intensity to make children believe that parents mean what they say. Ask yourself an important question about your own parenting. What...
Children need firmness, direction, limit-setting, instruction, and correction. But don't forget, they also need a lot of love. Of course, you know that, but it's good to be reminded every once in a while, especially when the business of family life gets intense. Love can come...
The heart is where we wrestle with things. When experience, teaching, and values need to be integrated into life, it happens in the workshop of the heart. Information comes into our heads on a regular basis but much of...