I thank God that we attend a church that allowed my husband and I a chance to refresh and renew without our young children crawling all over us. Because of children's church, I came out of the worship service “filled up” and ready to hit the week ahead with our young children. But when we visited my parents’ church, we didn’t have ...
Parenting
The What and How of Parenting One-Liners [Free Printable]
If asked what the most beneficial tool in my parenting toolbox is, I would say - without any hesitation, "One-Liners." These pre-scripted, parenting quotes have been instrumental in training my children. And parents and teachers continue to echo my sentiments as they have also seen these short phrases transform their homes and ...
Do Not Stop
What a fun week we had strolling down memory lane and celebrating what God is doing in and through the ABCJesusLovesMe ministry in the past 13 years. But my favorite parts were the "Then and Now" stories where each day we introduced you to an ABCJesusLovesMe graduate. As only God could do, the final "Then and Now" story was provided to me at ...
Is Fear Driving Your Teaching?
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 ...
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 ...