Kyria

A Little Mother's Day Reality

The pastor raised his hands, ending his sugary-sweet portrayal of Mom with the grand statement "Moms are the earthly angels of God." Most adults wiped their eyes, sniffed, and patted nearby children on the head. Like everyone else, I felt the tug of pleasant memories and was grateful for a sacrificial mom. Every mom wants to belong to the "mom was the best" club. We all hope the truth surrounding ...

Related Topics: Motherhood, Mother's Day, parenting

Outreach Begins at Home

Your intentions are the best. You want your kids to appreciate diversity, interact with people from other cultures, and be willing to sample food they didn't access through a drive-up window. There's just one problem: The family budget won't cover a mission trip this summer.

Not to worry, says Donna Thomas, whose international ministry has taken her to 79 countries—often with her sons, and now ...

Related Topics: Cultural Differences, Culture, Diversity, Ethnic Differences, Outreach

Prayer Primer for Parents

Starting something new can be as difficult for parents as it is for children. Our busy lives often make creating a new discipline hard to imagine. But the richness of a daily prayer moment between you, your child, and God will create a new dimension, a peace in your life that helps to transcend all the chaos. It starts with one simple step—a commitment to do it every night. Once the pattern ...

Related Topics: Child-rearing, parenting, Prayer

Prayer Primer for Parents

Starting something new can be as difficult for parents as it is for children. Our busy lives often make creating a new discipline hard to imagine. But the richness of a daily prayer moment between you, your child, and God will create a new dimension, a peace in your life that helps to transcend all the chaos. It starts with one simple step—a commitment to do it every night. Once the pattern ...

Related Topics: Child-rearing, parenting, Prayer

Pint-sized Spirituality

"Maaaaaaaaaaama, Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaama … Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeshush, Jeeeeeeeeeeshush!" My youngest child, just two years old, called out to me.

I paused in my work to look and, sure enough, she was on the couch flipping through our children's Bible and pointing at the various drawings of bearded men on its pages.

...

Then things got delightfully weirder. She folded her arms across her chest, gave herself ...

Related Topics: Biblical Guidance, Child-rearing, Children, Faith, parenting, Parenting, Wisdom in, Wisdom

When Life Hurts

I still remember my First Big Disappointment. While I'm sure there had been others—smaller things—before this disappointment, nothing stands out quite like not making the school play when I was in seventh grade.

I suppose it was because it was the first thing I'd wanted—rather badly—that I'd worked hard at, practiced for, tried out for, but been cut from. It was the first time ...

Related Topics: Disappointments, Grief, Parenting, Wisdom in

Lifestyle Wars

"I really want my two children to love the Lord, but when they spend time with their dad and stepmom, they are exposed to a lifestyle that goes against what the Bible teaches. What can we do? I'm tempted to discourage them from going to see their dad."

One challenge of faith training has always been how to minimize the world's influence upon our children. Sometimes, however, the "world" is another ...

Related Topics: Divorce, Stepfamily, stepparenting, Step-parenting

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Hello, Goodbye

"Don't give up. I need your best effort. Now!" my doctor said.

The nurse leaned close. "Robin, listen." She motioned with her head.

"Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war …" the hymn thrummed, timely, from the radio. My husband pushed from behind. I gathered my strength and breath and fought for my firstborn's entry into the world.

"A boy!" The nurse placed him in my arms.

This is the ...

Related Topics: College, Admission, parenting, Time

What's Going On with Your Teen?

His door was shut, as usual. It was quiet, which wasn't unusual. If he was on the computer, she could hear it—but if he was listening to music, he'd have his earbuds in, and she couldn't. She wasn't sure which one made her feel better because frankly both frightened her a little. It had started as an uneasy feeling about three months earlier. Jake just wasn't acting normal—nothing Tanya ...

Related Topics: parenting, Teenagers, Teens

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From Victims to Victors

As I was sitting in my doctor's office waiting to hear my name called, I noticed a headline on the November 30, 2009, edition of Time Magazine that immediately drew me into the cover story. It was titled "The Case Against Overparenting." The cover image showed a child suspended by strings like a marionette, and within the article was another picture of a well-intentioned mother wrapping her son in ...

Related Topics: Bullying, Education, parenting, School violence