About 10 years ago an article called, "Exposing the 7 Major Blind Spots of Homeschoolers" went viral on social media. Even Christian parents who didn't homeschool - like our family - shared it because the truths hit home. Now that I'm parenting teens, I reread the article through a different lens. But I was once again challenged to confront my ...
A School-Year Prayer
This week we close the door on summer. At the crack of dawn Monday morning, my children will enter their appropriate middle and high schools to learn, grow, and be a light in this dark world. I would like to pretend that this is easy to do, but honestly, like a mother hen, I would much rather keep my kiddos in the safety of my ...
Behind the Scenes with Parenting to Impress
Seven months ago Melanie and I began sharing on the Parenting to Impress Podcast what God has taught us, mistakes we have made, and stories of God's faithfulness. And as only God could do, there have been so many downloads that Parenting to Impress is in the top 10% of all podcasts! Amazing! But, do you know the most popular podcast episode? ...
Parenting Tip: Validating Your Child
A while back Peanut was disciplined for something he did although he knew not to. He was very upset with himself for again making the same mistake and yelled out, "I'm so stupid." He then sulked away waiting for someone to take the bait. Someone to say, "No, you're not! You are a great kid. You.... You..." in a way that begs the child to think ...
True or False: God Won’t Give Me More Than I Can Handle
Are you familiar with the phrase, "God won't give me more than I can handle"? Do you believe it? It is biblical? I think most of us would like to think this is true! Wouldn't it be great to know that God will reach down and fix any troubling circumstances, heal our diseases, or even repair broken relationships before we reach our breaking ...
Does Conflict Mean a Bad Marriage?
"It was the best of times.It was the worst of times." This opening quote by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities can apply to so many situations in life. But I wasn't prepared for it to apply to our vacation. Let me give you some backstory. Getting Away Two weeks ago, all four of our children attended camp. They love camp and ...
What is Causing Your Parental Exhaustion?
I'm exhausted! How do you avoid exhaustion in parenting? When I’m tired, I tend to give into my children, but I know I should have firm boundaries. If you are a parent or teacher, you can relate to Stephanie’s post in the ABCJesusLovesMe Facebook Group. When the kids are little, physical exhaustion develops just trying to keep them fed, ...
Are You Tired?
There is a person reading this post who is doing everything in his or her power to get it right, yet is going nowhere. She is striving to be a godly mom, wife, and friend yet secretly knows it isn’t working. Each night as she lays her head on the pillow she wonders if she has done enough. He is following all the “rules” and "working his head ...
Three Ways to Build a Work Ethic in Your Kids
In my mind there are three main aspects of parenting. The first is the theme of this blog – impressing upon our children a God who loves them and asks them to love Him and others in return. A second is financial wisdom. When our children were young, I created the Money Management System to train our children to ...
Should Children Have Chores?
The last few blog posts and podcast episode have focused on being intentional with your summer. With the kids out of school, summer is a great time to focus on the child's heart. I often begin summer thinking about the areas of maturity that are lacking. Without a doubt, having a servant-heart is frequently high on the list. Will chores ...