If I polled a group of Christian parents, I believe a large number would admit to struggling with fear. Did I say the right thing, do enough, or handle the situations correctly? I wonder if this fear is what leads so many parents to question the "what" and "when" of teaching their children. After seeing the frequently asked questions in the ...
Parenting
How to Teach a Child to Use Kind Words: Part 2
Last week's blog post started the 4-step process to teach a child to use kind words. First we instruct the child according to the Bible what kindness is. Then we model the behavior. Read Part 1 Today's post will provide ideas to practice and then release the child to demonstrate the learning. 3. Practice Kind Words After the ...
How to Teach a Child to Use Kind Words: Part 1
"You can always be honest with me!""That was mean. Don't ever say that again." Have you ever found yourself saying these two statements to your child, sometimes in the same day? A new book by Sonia Amin got me thinking about this confusion. While we want our children to be honest with us, we want them to be respectful with their words. ...
Are You Plucking to Sew?
Parenting in the Franz house is emotionally arduous right now. Bubs (age 16) is driving to school, starting a part-time job, and spreading his wings more and more. When did the little boy who was the inspiration for ABCJesusLovesMe evolve into a man? A friend shared the above image on Facebook and I requested her permission to share it ...
How to Be the Perfect Parent
What color should the circle be? Should the paper be 8.5 x 11"? Larger? Smaller? Do you prefer pencils with or without erasers? As I read these questions from the ABCJesusLovesMe users, I hear so much anxiety to get it perfect. And if I were close, I would give each of you a great big hug because I know you are trying with all your might to get ...
Stop the Hop
Have you heard the phrase "church hopping"? It is the same idea as "diet hopping." It comes from the thought that if the church or diet doesn't immediately give you the results that you desire, you try another hoping the next option will be the magic pill to fix the problem. Here's another one for you... Discipline Hopping Discipline ...
Who’s Your #1 Priority- Your Spouse or Kids, Part 2
Last week's blog post shared the cultural view of the husband-child balance for moms. The more time you spend with your child, the better chance the child will have to grow up intelligent and well-rounded. Thus, the child should be your top priority since your husband is an adult and he can wait his turn. Then I shared Bible verses ...
Who’s Your #1 Priority- Your Spouse or Kids, Part 1
Happy Valentine's month! Stores are filled with heart decor and candy, and love is in the air. But if you are knee deep in diapers, exhausted from carpooling young children, or an emotional wreck from guiding teenagers, love for your spouse may be the furthest thought. And that's okay, right? Current Culture Push The push of ...
Instilling Faith In Your Children
In my Biblical Discipline conferences, I humbly share that prior to having my own children I believed parenting would be easy. It wasn't long into my journey that I discovered raising godly children is anything but easy. And I know that I am not alone. Many of you are overwhelmed. You had great ambition, but somewhere between the piles of ...
What Deposits Are You Making?
In my mind, I have an ample amount of time before my children fly my nest to face the world. But the calendar is suggesting otherwise. Bubs started his first year of high school a couple of months ago meaning that I have only 3 years to finish the training that I started 15 years ago. Up to the point I have instilled in him a work ethic ...