Kids and Pets: A Winning Combination

Kids and Pets A Winning Combination

Children and pets are a natural combination. Having a best buddy, especially one who loves unconditionally, is a gift for a kid. Through the years, our golden retrievers tagged after the boys across the yard, through the woods, and even off the end of the dock into the lake for a swim. While companionship is…

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Cooperative Kids

Cooperative Kids

Family life is so much more peaceful when everyone cooperates. The benefits are great when we all get along. All kids need time and practice to learn to be cooperative and work together with both adults and other children. Working together well is the goal. And believe me, it takes practice! I remember the first…

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Don’t Solve Your Grandkid’s Problems

Don't Solve Your Grandkid's Problems

Are your grandchildren experiencing life, in real life situations? Do you solve your grandkid’s problems? Are your grands encouraged to fully enter decision-making, problem-solving, conflict-resolving situations? When adults (grandparents included) step in, children don’t have the opportunity to step up, to be responsible and experience the consequences of their decisions. Life is more difficult in…

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Raise Responsible Kids

A child in a green shirt holds a colorful map, embodying the spirit of exploration. Above, the text reads "Raise Responsible Kids," pointing to resources like FaithFirstParent.com and FaithfulGrandparenting.com to guide in nurturing responsible young adventurers.

Raise responsible kids. It’s an ongoing task for parents. Guide kids in making good choices because as kids mature, the stakes are higher. Modeling accountability, having appropriate expectations, providing routines and opportunities for kids are all part of raising children to be responsible adults. Seven Tips to Raise Responsible Kids Model Be trustworthy, honest, dependable,…

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Are Our Kids Experientially Poor?

A young child crouches outdoors, experientially engaging with the dirt on a sunny day. Clad in a red outfit and wearing a focused expression, the background blurs into lush green trees, evoking the feel of a park or natural setting.

Are our kids experiencing life, real life? Are they experientially poor because we don’t allow them to fully enter into decision-making, problem-solving, conflict-resolving situations? When we step in, kids don’t have the opportunity to step up.  We’re actually making life more difficult in the long run. Tips to Erase Experientially Poverty Let kids fail. Failure…

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Chores: Little Jobs for Little People

Two young children are diligently doing their chores in the hallway. The child in the foreground, sporting glasses, a necklace, jeans, and no shirt, pushes a mop. Meanwhile, the child in the background sweeps with a broom while wearing pants with suspenders on the polished wooden floor.

When parents ask if their little kids should do chores, my immediate answer is an emphatic, “YES!” Helping one another is part of family life. Jobs around the house qualify for gifts of service. The benefits of helping around the house are many. Learning to care for oneself and others, living in an organized and…

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How Can I Help You?

A young child wearing glasses and jeans is diligently mopping a wooden floor in a hallway. Meanwhile, another child helps by holding a broom in the background. Both are shirtless, working together in their brightly lit home setting, turning chores into teamwork.

When I’m offered assistance I feel cared for, don’t you? Whether it’s my boys, husband or the kid bagging groceries, it’s really nice to have help. Life is a little sweeter when you don’t have to do the heavy lifting alone. Jesus came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28). We can do likewise.…

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