Christian Parenting
For whatever else a childhood is, one thing is constant: it is the hearth, the gathering place of life’s first and most indelible memories – the unalterable frame for all the experiences that accompany us through life. And thus in the end, the task of bringing up our children is not only a question of effective parenting, and even less one of educational insights, theories, or ideals. Perhaps it is mostly a matter of the love we give them, and the memories engendered by that love, which has power to awaken the same even years down the road.
Ebooks on Christian Parenting
Endangered: Your Child in a Hostile World
There are more than enough books on parenting. That was one of the few things I was certain of when I set out to write this book. A father of eight and grandfather of twenty-two, I have had ample opportunities to experience parenting in action, and I sense that what today’s parents lack most is not expertise or ideas, but daring. They simply lack the courage to put their children first...
Thoughts on Children
It is sometimes said that each child is a thought in the mind of God. But even if we believe this, and approach the children entrusted to us with reverence, we may often feel helpless-whether in the face of a two-year-old’s tantrum or a teenager’s silence.
A Little Child Shall Lead Them: Hopeful Parenting in a Confused World
A pastor offers down-to-earth insights every parent can apply. Topics include fatherhood, motherhood, spoiling your child, discipline, adoption, special needs, building character, academics, sports and play, sex education, role of grandparents, media consumption, and homeschooling.
"Somewhere along the line we have forgotten what childhood is all about. In our preoccupation with adult solutions, we have lost sight of our children — of their vulnerability and innocence, their joyousness, and their love. We have lost touch with the childlike spirit. Despite the words we use to describe the process of education — words like “parenting,” “child rearing,” and other such terms — it seems that in real life we grown-ups often learn as much from our children as they learn from us. In a certain sense, this is how it should be. Anyone who has raised children knows that education is a two-way street..."
Articles on Christian Parenting and the Special Child
Academic Standards for Uniform Children
This week’s proposal for a national academic standard has been hailed as one of the most important events in the history of American education. But this latest vision of our expert educators is short-sighted, and will only further undermine what little real education we have left. The basic problem of modern education is its sinister goal of forcing uniformity and conformity on children who were created as unique individuals.
Fighting Childhood Obesity
Let’s talk not only about calories and diets and exercise regimens, but about self-discipline, self-control and self-denial. And then we need to turn that talk into action, starting with ourselves. When we start with ourselves, our children will catch on very fast.
Some Thoughts on Education
As a Christian, a parent of six, a grandfather of over 20, and former public school teacher, I would like to share with you some thoughts from my parenting and teaching experiences: Teach children to actually participate in life, not be spectators. Real life is not a spectator sport!
Children and Cyber-Nature
A student of education discusses her thoughts on technology and children. "Children increasingly exposed to the artificial environments of computers become steadily removed from the reality of human emotions and interaction, not to mention the natural world. Children need teachers for security and as positive role models, and teachers cannot be substituted with computer screens."
Benson John Fischli
As parents we are given these children to love and care for only as long as they are here on earth. But they will each return to God in their own time, once their task has been completed. For the first time, we saw Benson as a messenger from God, pointing us upward in all of our need. And we felt that God had had his hand in everything, from the very beginning...
A Plea for the Children of Our Nation
Our children do not need longer school days or school years. They need teachers who love and respect them. They need teachers who aim to educate the whole child, not just their brains.
The Gift of the Extra Chromosome
There is no doubt that caring for a Down syndrome child carries immense challenges for family, friends, and school. But the rewards are immeasurable, and the lessons taught by individuals with Down syndrome (and Louisa sure was an individual) are simply not provided by those of us of "sound" mind. It is a matter of the heart.
A New Global Threat? Obesity in a World of Hunger
The plague of obesity, especially in children, did not happen overnight. It is the bitter harvest of decades of catering to ourselves instead of serving others. It is the fruit of a sedentary lifestyle focused on television and computers rather than the great outdoors. It is the destructive result of stressing academics, rather than the sandbox, even in kindergarten.
A Precious Gift from Ethiopia
For years I wanted to adopt a child. Yet words simply cannot explain the overwhelming joy I felt, when, after years of waiting, hoping, and praying, I actually had the opportunity to look at photos of my infant daughter for the first time. She is waiting for me in far-away Ethiopia.
God's Last Name
Eighteen months after his tragic death I spent two weeks with the child’s family. I found myself up after midnight almost daily—listening to family members, poring over their diaries, and trying to reconcile the idea of a loving God with the cold reality of innocent death. How can the two co-exist within the same universe? Within the same human heart?
When Children Suffer
Children, more than adults, often have a natural inclination to faith because they are so close to God. When we experience the faith of a child — indeed, whenever we sense faith in anyone at any time — we should be careful not to hinder it, but nurture it so that it may become a foundation on which to face future storms.