7 Reasons to Ask Your Child Good Questions

How was school? Good. What did you do? Play. Did your teacher read a story? Yes. Tired of one word answers from your preschooler? Want to learn more about your child’s school day? First things first, ask better questions. Open-ended questioning is a helpful parenting skill for a variety of reasons. 7 Reasons to Ask…

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An Awesome Gift for Your Kids: A Strong Marriage

I was giddy. The hotel was beautiful, the restaurant opulent. This was special, dinner and an overnight date, just the two of us. Scott and I had just left our bags in the room and were waiting at the elevator to go for dinner when we received the call. “I’m so sorry but your son is…

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Messy Journey: How Grace and Truth Offer the Prodigal a Way Home

Life is messy. Jesus never promised an easy journey. In fact, He warned us of just the opposite, there will be trouble, difficulties, and sadness. (John 16:33) This includes challenges within families. Raising a prodigal child is usually extreme heartache for a parent. Lori Wildenberg, my ministry partner at 1C13P and co-author, has written her…

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Top 10 Tips to Inspire Learning this Summer

Summer.. fun, sun, and time to play! But don’t let the learning slide. Here are ten tips to inspire your children to keep the learning alive over the summer months. READ Read as much as you can as often as you can to your children. Spend time at the library. Your children can have their…

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Parenting with Faith, Hope, and Love

Invite a group of friends or neighbors to join in a parenting study. The books and study guides will provide moms and dads with a practical and applicable guide to raise kids with faith, hope, and love. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 Do…

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Faith First? To whom will you go?

What does it mean to put “faith first”? It’s hard to keep a heavenly perspective in all aspects of life. The schedule gets busy. Horrific tragedies happen throughout the world. People we love get sick and die. Sometimes the storms of life are so heavy it’s overwhelming. It’s hard not to think the light at…

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Faith-filled Ideas to Remember the First Easter

Passion Week begins this Sunday, Palm Sunday. It marks the beginning of the most holy week of the year for Christians. While it’s easy to get caught up in everything from Easter dinner to chocolate bunnies, make time each day to focus on Jesus and the first Easter. Reading biblical accounts of Holy Week will…

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How Much is Enough? Planning Summer Activities

During the school year, the calendar is jam-packed with afterschool activities and commitments. It’s sometimes overwhelming for kids and parents. Registration for summer camps, sports teams, youth activities, art classes, and more is now in full swing. The opportunities for families and children are amazing. The big questions for families to consider are, “What will…

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7 Faith Building Tips for Parents of Teens

The text read, “Mom can you talk?” When a message arrives from a college kid with a request to talk, a mom drops everything and texts back, “Yes!” The phone rang a few minutes later. ”Mom, I’m really stressed out about finals.” We talked for a few minutes about how he was studying for his exams,…

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11 Tried and True Potty Training Tips

Potty training…  Those who haven’t yet experienced toilet training a small child don’t usually understand the process. Those on the precipice or in the midst of potty training generally cringe. Those of us who have gone through it nod knowingly. Yes, it’s a THING for parents. Everyone has issues with it in one way or…

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