Category: parenting
-
ParentingA Tale of Two Fathers
“…even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He…
-
ParentingChristian fathers are coaches
Have you ever felt frustrated in dealing with your children? Have you found yourself complaining to your spouse that your child “just doesn’t listen well”?…
-
ParentingOne way to talk to your kids about God
In Matthew 16, Jesus presents his disciples with a two-part question. It is a masterful question and one that parents can use with great benefit….
-
ParentingParents: do you have the courage to be gentle?
A gentle response to an angry or defiant act seems weak and out of place. The Holy Spirit has a different perspective: A gentle answer…
-
Parenting21 things I learned living with teenagers
We’re almost running out of teenagers in our family. Our eldest of six is well past the mid-twenty mark, and our youngest is less than…
-
Articles – BooksWhy you should keep reading to your kids
Parents read to their pre-school kids on a pretty regular basis – it’s a great way to snuggle up for some one-on-one time with mom…
-
ParentingParenting: many different approaches – only one set of guiding principles
Empty threats – that’s what they are called – and some are more ridiculous than others. I once overheard an employee at Target, a young…
-
ParentingIf you want to spank your child, don’t
***** The photo website I use for most of the pictures for Reformed Perspective has more than 24 million stock pictures, so no matter what…
-
Book excerpts10 QUOTES: On technology and the family
We need to control our technology; it can’t control us “…it is absolutely completely possible to make different choices about technology from the default settings…
-
ParentingWhy Reformed churches should be full of adopted children
When it comes to adoption rates, our Reformed churches aren’t unusual. While Canadian statistics are hard to come by, in the US it appears about 1%…
-
ParentingHelping our children listen well
***** It will not come as a shock that in Christian schools too, students will be inattentive. Teachers, coaches, pastors, volunteers, and community instructors notice…
-
ParentingRaising children who despise themselves
It seems like such a simple thing. You ask your child to do something and in response, he quietly keeps playing with his toy. If…
-
ParentingSpanking on trial: how to make a public defense
If spanking were to be put on public trial how would the jury rule? In countries like the Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand and more than…
-
ParentingThe problem with explanations
God has not called parents to explain but to train. Explanations often lead to frustration and anger for both parents and children. Children are not…
-
ParentingTikTok passes 2 billion downloads
The social media app TikTok has exploded in popularity. Sensor Tower analytics reports that since the start of 2019 the app has doubled its downloads,…
-
ParentingGentleness: a gift to your family
Do you want your children to see you as someone they can trust? Do you want your spouse to take comfort in just being with you? Are…
-
DatingMarriable Men
***** Here’s a topic that’s best to get to too early rather than too late – what sort of men should our daughters marry? Dads…
-
ParentingExposing the poor research fueling the anti-spanking campaign
“Spanking is linked to aggression, antisocial behavior, mental health problems, cognitive difficulties, low self-esteem, and a whole host of other negative outcomes.” So declared a…
-
Parenting“I will fight for our young people. Will you?” – a pastor’s plea to Christian parents
This essay comes from the heart as a passionate plea to parents out of our shared concern for our covenant children. It is difficult to pastor…
-
CD ReviewCD REVIEWS: Bach and Beethoven for kids (and adults)
C.S. Lewis once made mention of a man who did not like children. Now some of our dislikes are simply a matter of taste –…
-
Christian educationMartin Luther on the vital, foundational, educational calling of parents
Martin Luther loved God’s Church so much he risked his freedom and life for it. He boldly took on princes, bishops, emperors, and popes, all…
-
ParentingIn defence of Biblical spanking
Why would anyone want to write an article defending spanking? This is one of those topics which the modern world considers a fundamental sign of…
-
ParentingOn the difference between punishment and discipline
Both punishment and discipline are painful, but that pain is put to very different purposes by God. God disciplines his children in love, as a…
-
HistoryQuestioning daycare and preschool: how young is too young?
In this twenty-first century, more and more children are being relegated to daycare or other institutions that look after them for a great many hours…
-
ParentingWhy you should consider fostering
May is Foster Care Awareness Month and I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a little of our journey with the hope and prayer…
-
ParentingPatricia Polacco gets woke
In my idyllic and very Christian small town I keep forgetting that even here there’s a spiritual war going on. This past weekend I got…
-
ParentingTeaching boys to fight
Boys today are no longer expected to become warriors as a rite of passage to manhood. And that’s a good thing; I’m grateful that my…
-
Children’s picture books3 picture books that tackle anxiety, anger, and failure
Children get anxious. And angry. And they can get frustrated when they fail. As adults, we often struggle with these same emotions, and sometimes we…
-
ParentingA smartphone contract for our kids
The ““Lights at Stewart’s Place” Facebook page is normally about the Stewart family’s incredible Christmas light display. This past December they turned their whole house…
-
ParentingParents: Understand that much depends on you
In this modernized excerpt, from his book “Duties for Parents” J.C. Ryle points to the enormous role God has given parents in shaping our children…
-
ParentingThe Golden Rule: the biblical response to self-pity
Sin is devastating. An eight-year-old tries to be kind to his older sister. She responds with, “That was stupid!” Michael is crushed. He tried so hard to…
-
ParentingIgnore your inner defense attorney!
My friend Paul Tripp writes that becoming our own defense attorney is a dangerous and destructive practice. In less formal language Paul is warning about becoming…
-
ParentingJust how bad is the teen anxiety epidemic?
Over the past year or so, I’ve noticed a significant increase in the number of people asking me for help with anxiety issues. While it…
-
ParentingOn reading together
It used to be, a generation and a half or so ago, that reading out loud was family entertainment. My own childhood memories – although…
-
ParentingFathers, fear, and self-interest
Men, our legacy since the fall is that we tend to either be indifferent or become angry at our children’s sin. Both responses are dangerous…
-
AssortedWhat my grandma taught me
My grandma died at the age of 93, more than 25 years after her Henk died. And during those years she often wondered why God…