If you are a church-going family, the odds are high that at some point you may deal with having a child who is no longer interested in attending. This can especially become a challenge when children reach their teenage years. So how do you handle that? Should you force your child or teen to go to church? Well there are two sides of logic when it comes to this issue. There is the side that believes forcing a teen to attend church will only turn them off more. Forcing an issue can sometimes make them more resistant. There is the … Continue reading →

I think one of the most painful things to deal with as a parent is allowing your child to make mistakes. Now this isn’t the way every person parents. Some choose to exert so much control over their children’s lives that there is no room for mistakes to happen. But I tend to think this isn’t actually good for a child. At the same time, I struggle with allowing my children to make mistakes. Despite the necessity of it at times, I would much rather protect them from such. But I am beginning to really learn the importance of sometimes … Continue reading →

For each of my children I have a special picture frame. Right in the middle of the frame there is a plaque that reads, “Journey – “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 29:11 Surrounding that plaque are small windows to put in their pictures. At the bottom left it starts with kindergarten and it goes around to the other side of the frame ending with 11th grade. Then there is a bigger window right below the plaque where you put their senior picture. It is neat to look at that picture frame and … Continue reading →

Some might think I’m a little too sentimental and maybe I am. But once again I am facing this new season in life that has just really hit me. My 16-year-old son has his learner’s permit. He started driver’s education and when I went to pick him up Friday he proudly announced that he had passed his written test. So we took a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to get his learner’s permit. It felt so strange. I remember not that long ago doing the same. Okay, maybe it was a long time ago but it somehow … Continue reading →

After reading fellow blogger Michele Cheplic’s “Hopefully Never,” I couldn’t help but think about all of the things I would never allow my children to do. And these aren’t even “big” issues like getting on a commercial airplane by themselves. I’m talking about the “smaller” stuff, the things that sometimes my teens really balk at and can’t understand why. But it doesn’t matter; there are just some things I will never do. The latest one that has my 12-year-old son very frustrated is that I won’t allow him to go over to a friend’s house from school unless I meet … Continue reading →

So this week my 17-year-old son is in Haiti on a construction project. The first couple of days were extremely difficult for me. I didn’t sleep much, cried a little and thought about him constantly. As each day passes, it gets a little better. It’s also encouraging to know that as each day goes by, it also means getting closer to his return. And I am incredibly grateful for technology. While our phone service doesn’t allow for him to call or text, he is able to text us through his iPod. The house he is staying in has Wi-Fi and … Continue reading →

Sometimes my kids will give me a real zinger. I received one today when I was a passenger in the van my son was driving. He is very new to driving and so far his experience has been on side streets. So today I stretched his comfort zone and had him start off further away from home, going down some busy streets. At one point he was going along and I told him to slow down a little. He asked me why and I said because the speed limit is 30 and you are going 33. Then he delivered the … Continue reading →

I always know that moment in time during summer vacation when my children are ready to go back to school. No, they may not admit it but I know that it is there deep inside. It starts off with hearing the words “I’m bored,” even though they have a hundred things they can do in the house and they have lots of friends to hang out with. Then it turns into bickering. Before you know it, there are constant battles taking place between them. Yes, the itch for school to start has begun. It is probably being felt to a … Continue reading →