Parent conversations: How can I let the gospel shine as I parent?
In my opinion, this is the toughest part of being a Christian parent—letting the gospel shine in how I deal with my kids. It just seems to come naturally to me...
Parent conversations: How should I handle a child’s separation anxiety?
My kids and I have spent almost no time apart since mid-March. With school starting soon, I’m a little nervous about how my youngest, who is six, is going to handle...
Parent conversations: How should families prepare to go back to school?
How should families prepare to go back to school? That’s quite a question this year, isn’t it? After all, education is likely to look different depending on...
Parent conversations: How does a teen’s brain work?
Each phase of childhood comes with its own unique set of blessings and challenges, doesn’t it? Teenagers get a bad rap, but as my daughter enters high school,...
Parent conversations: How much should I monitor my child online?
This month’s column might not be what you are expecting. It doesn’t include endorsements for the latest security apps to keep your child safe online or to measure...
Parent conversations: How can parents reassure children during an uncertain time?
As the editorial staff developed the May issue of Forward in Christ, the mandatory quarantines had just begun. We had no way of predicting what would be taking place...
Parent conversations: How can I stay calm when my child is out of control?
Warning: The two articles this month are a completely accurate portrayal of life with children. Tantrums happen. Parents lose it. If we’re being honest, most of...
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Parent conversations: Should I give something up for Lent?
Should I or shouldn’t I? It’s a question I ask myself each Lenten season. Should I give something up? I know I don’t need to, but would it help me to focus...
Parent conversations: How can I keep my child engaged in attending church?
Let’s be honest. Worshiping with children does not always feel . . . worshipful. I believe that most parents desperately want to engage their children in worship—but...
Parent conversations: How can we help a stressed-out kid?
From day-to-day stressors like homework and whom to sit next to at lunch to larger stressors like changing schools or facing a family medical issue, our children...
Parent conversations: How can we nurture a proper view of “stuff”?
Every year as Christmas rolls around, I can’t help but take stock of all the “stuff” my family has. This year that schedule sped up because we moved right...
Parent conversations: How involved should parents be in a child’s homework?
I dread my daughter’s homework more than she does. From the time she was little, it’s always been a struggle. She seems to sail through school with a great...
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: Are we modeling kindness for our children?
Are we modeling kindness for our children? “Forming character in children combines parental instruction and modeling,” notes Kenneth Kremer in his book Embracing...
Parent conversations: What’s the best parenting advice you’ve received or given?
Years before I became a mother, I wrote a news article for Forward in Christ in which I interviewed a dad who described his nightly ritual of blessing his young...
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: How should we handle it when people undermine our parenting decisions?
How should we handle it when people undermine our parenting decisions? I think that parenting is often like an ice cream sundae bar. No two people make exactly the...
Parent conversations: How can we prepare children for summer camp?
How can we prepare children for summer camp? When I was going into eighth grade, I went to band camp for a week during the summer. I had a blast, and the experience...
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: What’s a parent’s role as a child dates?
What’s a parent’s role as a child dates? It’s not often that I don’t chime in with my opinion on a topic, but this is going to be one of those rare moments....
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: How do parents find contentment?
How do parents find contentment? As parents, we all know that we need to savor each moment. Those older and wiser remind us that the time passes so quickly. So,...
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: How can we help a family with a sick parent?
How can we help a family with a sick parent? When we find out that someone we care about is sick, we want to help. Often, though, we don’t know what to do. Writing...
Heart to heart: Parent conversations: How can parents model healthy cell phone use?
How can parents model healthy cell phone use? Do you ever feel like your smartphone use is out of control and you’re not sure how it happened? I am not an early...
Book nook: Look Up From Your Phone So I Can Love You
Nicole Balza The back cover of Look Up From Your Phone So I Can Love You by Amy Vannieuwenhoven says that the book is “an interactive journal that helps parents...
Parent conversations: How can we protect kids without scaring them?
When I was a child, McGruff the crime dog taught us about “stranger danger,” and “Mr. Yuk” stickers alerted us to the phone number for poison control. Boom....
Parent conversations: What does your family’s bedtime routine look like?
I was considering titling this month’s column, “How can I get my kids to bed without screaming (me) and crying (them)?” but that wouldn’t fit in the title...