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...
A big THANK YOU to our friends over at Lightway Baptist Church for creating a PDF document with several quotes from the Parenting is Heart Work book. In our busy lives today, connecting on a heart level is easy to overlook. We need to be...
Bobby is twelve years old. All of a sudden he's resisting Mom at every turn. Her instructions lead to debates and arguing. Bobby used to be so pleasant and cooperative, but now the tension in their home is growing. Something needs to be done. But...
God has designed a parenting tool that’s often overlooked. It’s the tool of “Time.” But it’s not just any kind of time. It’s a strategic use of hang-out time between a parent and a child. Those times happen. We just need to know how to...
“The answer is no.” How does your child respond to that statement? Handling disappointment is part of life and knowing how to respond well to limits is part of maturity. But some children have a difficult time when they don’t get what they want. They pout, throw temper tantrums,...