Connecting with young teens can be challenging but time spent with them will be rewarding for both parents and kids

Do you have any advice for handling an elementary school age child whose life is dominated by senseless little rituals? It’s become clear to us that our daughter’s behavior is consistently obsessive-compulsive in nature. For example, she won’t go to bed before checking the front door at least ten times to make sure that it’s locked. She’s anxious and worried all the time, and it’s starting to drive me crazy! Any thoughts or suggestions?

When the internal and external voices whisper the lies You’re insignificant, You’re not enough and You don’t measure up, we want our children to know, deep in their souls, that the only One who gets to define them is the One who created them and calls them beloved.

Perfectionism isn’t healthy for us or our relationships. It feeds discontent. It fosters judgment. So, how do we get out from under the pressure of perfectionism? It all starts with grace.

How can my spouse and I survive my recent job loss? Without my income I can’t see how we’re going to make ends meet. What will we do if I can’t find another employment opportunity?

What happens when the person grappling with mental illness is someone within the walls of your own home? And what are some of the signs?

Try these strategies to counteract culture by helping your teen develop a strong, positive identity.

After two kids and 25 years of marriage, Mike told his family he was leaving. They all thought it was forever

What can we do to encourage our school-age son to get away from the television and computer screen and spend more time playing outdoors? We’re getting worried about his health and fitness, and we’d like to know how we can motivate him to become more active. So far all of our “nagging” hasn’t helped a bit. Can you suggest a more effective strategy?

Tweens and teens experience many physical and emotional changes that can be confusing for parents. Dr. Meg Meeker explains those changes and offers tips for parents to respond effectively so their sons and daughters can thrive during their teenage years.

Recognizing your teen’s seasons of life and how to support them

Children best grasp the reality of God’s love when they experience it at home.

Help kids see that God works through pain and suffering in their and other people’s lives.

Do you know how to reassure your kids when they doubt God’s goodness because of all the bad things happening in the world?

Bullies can be difficult to identify, and it’s getting harder all the time.

Dr. Tyler Sexton speaks from experience. As a child born with cerebral palsy, he overcame incredible odds to become a medical doctor. Now he treats kids with special needs. Here’s his encouragement for parents.

Dr. Tyler Sexton, a physician who has cerebral palsy, discusses the link between disabilities and bullying, and explains how parents can strengthen a disabled child before bullying occurs, recognize if their disabled child is being bullied, and respond to the child and others in a healthy and Christ-like way.

Parents can help their kids break out of the bullying cycle.

How can we stop our preschooler from bullying other kids? Our 4-year-old is a bright and loving child, but he’s also quite strong willed. His teachers have already talked to us several times about his uncooperative behavior — interrupting, ignoring instructions, etc. But now something more serious has happened. He recently pushed one student to the ground and hit two others. His only explanation was that these boys weren’t his friends and weren’t doing what he wanted! We don’t allow this kind of behavior at home, but how can we make sure that he’ll follow our instructions when Mom and Dad are not around?

Equip your kids to take a stand against bullying!

Read one woman’s story of emotional abuse and its effect on her life. Learn how the love of God brought hope and healing.

If your teens seem depressed or hopeless and you worry that their actions may lead to self-harm, here are some ideas for bringing hope into their situation.

Do good, and you’ll be OK. Do more, and you’ll be saved. That’s what many teens think, but it’s not what God wants them to know.

Is the quality of time I spend with my family more important than the quantity?

What your child needs from you in order to heal after divorce.

Over time, the intensity of your grief will likely subside, but do not rush the grieving process.

Has your teen decided to “give up the faith”? Get insight into how parents can engage with their prodigals.

Can you imagine the freedom that would come to our hearts from having full confidence in the love of Christ? Would it help us love better?

We now have an enormous amount of research on divorce and children, all pointing to the same stubborn truth: Kids suffer when moms and dads split up.

Learn how to deal with the grief that comes from the death of a loved one or from divorce. It includes the stages of grief and provides teens with ideas on how to walk through the process of grief after a loss.

Families who nurture shared time, traditions and values create a sense of belonging that helps kids thrive.

Learn how to teach kids about God’s creation and offer examples for intelligent design.

What’s the best way to teach young children the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, and appropriate and inappropriate behavior? We understand the importance of early spiritual training, and we’ve been praying with our child and reading her Bible stories ever since she was old enough to listen and understand. But the challenge of instilling practical moral values seems more difficult. How would you approach this with a child in the elementary grades?

Develop a conversational approach to parenting.

Is bedtime a problem at your home? Here are a few suggestions for creating a better bedtime routine.

As you correct your kids in their behavior, they need to hear four messages that affirm them and show them of your love and care.

Children need to discover an ability or a skill they can be good at and achieve competence. And it’s our job as parents to help them find it.

Unconditional love coupled with positive discipline is helpful for raising healthy resilient kids.

An effective parent has to learn the difference between punishment and discipline.

Good sleep is essential to maintaining physical, emotional, spiritual and social health. Unfortunately, many people are seriously sleep deprived. Dr. Meg Meeker discusses the benefits of getting good sleep and some of the potential problems parents and kids may experience if they don’t get enough rest at night.

Help your kids want to eat better so they’ll be prepared for a successful day.

Intentionality in parenting means making a purposeful decision to spend time connecting with your kids. Read how intentionality is one of the seven traits for effective parenting.

At some point, most parent wonders if they’re making a difference in their kids’ lives.

These weeks haven’t been easy. But there are things you can do to lower the stress level and find peace during the coronavirus quarantine.

We all worry to some extent from time to time. Some of us, though, find our lives disrupted by fear and anxiety.

How can I tell if my child really has ADHD? She is struggling in school, and her teacher has told us that she exhibits some of the symptoms of ADHD. I have serious concerns about the over-diagnosis of this condition and the over-medication of many kids today. Do you think I should take the teacher’s observations seriously?

Help young child understand how to work through their emotions instead of screaming or throwing tantrums.

This article explains the difference between bonding and attachment, how attachment relates to forming healthy relationships, and what parents can do to foster secure attachment for healthy growth and development.

Did you know the majority of students in New Zealand spend at least six hours per day in school? That’s a lot of time, and it presents a unique challenge to Christian students who spend that time in an environment that’s completely different than—or even contradicts—what they learn at home and at church.

“Love” can be defined in many ways. Christ’s love for us is an unconditional love, and this is the love we are to seek in marriage.

Teens tend to attract friends who share similar values, and you can encourage them to do so.

There have been countless times I’ve had to respond to a parent’s pleas for help after they have just discovered their child has viewed pornography.

Pride leads to conflict in marriage, so what are you doing to nurture humility in your own heart?

Misplaced compassion can be as dangerous as outright antagonism. Let’s break down a few of the myths and misconceptions surrounding this delicate topic of abortion after rape.

With your guidance and practice, your kids can learn to control their emotions. Here are four steps for helping your children regain the upper hand when intense emotions threaten to spiral out of control.

True listening requires you to be fully present — clearly and intentionally focused on your spouse. Intent focus shows that your whole heart, soul, mind and body are present.

Foster a strong relationship between your children and their grandparents by creating opportunities for them to interact

Thinking that summertime fun will fix your marriage problems is unrealistic. But you can use the optimism of the season to improve your relationship.

Bill explained that discipline comes from the root word disciple and means “to teach or to coach.” It means teaching appropriate and biblical thinking and behavior.

If whitewater rafting were just a matter of floating downstream, it wouldn’t be much of an adventure. So it is with the journey to adulthood. Just as every interesting river contains rocks and waterfalls and “strainers” that threaten to trap you underwater, the path you and your teen are trying to navigate includes some hefty obstacles.

Parenting sensitive children is a tremendous privilege and responsibility. Here are six ways that we can help our highly sensitive child thrive through our parenting.

A successful marriage is possible! Here are 10 principles that will help you create and maintain a successful marriage.

What is intimacy? What is the definition of intimacy? Sometimes people will do just about anything to get close to someone they find interesting, intriguing or just plain irresistible. Is that being intimate?

Here are 5 ways to help you create an environment of healthy dialogue with your kids.

My marriage vow kept me from making a grave mistake. Without it, I would have lost a lifetime of love. This special promise is powerful — and we need it for many reasons. If you’re living together but you’re not married yet, consider the power of the vow.

Let’s be honest: Homeschooling isn’t for everyone. Here is a look at what homeschooling is, and several ways to determine if it’s best for your family.

Should couples invest the most resources in a dream wedding day, a dream house or a dream relationship — one that lasts for a lifetime?

Read about one man’s decision to put his kids first.

My dad is a man that is willing to leave the 99 for the 1. He is willing to fight for his family, even when it’s inconvenient.

Mums, are you busy, stressed, and tired? Take the self-care assessment below to learn what areas of self-care for mums you can strengthen.

When I was single, I was deeply aware of my need for God. He was the only other Person in my apartment to talk to on quiet evenings. He was the one who gave me peace when I was scared and loved me no matter what. And while those things were still true after I got married, suddenly it was a lot harder to make time for God.

Boot these bad habits for better communication

Peer pressure is real. Help your kids spot peer pressure, gain tools to deal with it, and be strong enough to deal with someone’s reaction to hearing “no.”

Take the time to help your children process worry, grief and loss

My husband, Russ, and I are the parents of 12 kids through birth and adoption, and sometimes more through foster care.

Take a level-headed approach to leading your family.

We can help single moms during this pandemic, offering hope and love in word and deed. Together, we can ensure no single mom walks alone.

If you experienced a low level of contentment as a single, expecting marriage to propel you to marital bliss probably won’t happen.

As a single parent, resist the urge to retreat from healthy relationships.

Dispel three myths about faith that your children might believe and help them understand what faith is and the nature of this gift that comes from God.

Help kids understand what faith — a God-given gift — really is!

While current culture is divided on the abortion issue, we search the scriptures and ask ourselves, “What does the Bible say about abortion?”

These six steps can help you to build self-confidence and a positive self-image in your children.

Intimacy is a lifelong invitation to let your spouse get to know the “real you” — your hopes, dreams, fears and secrets.

If busyness, exhaustion, and distraction have caused you and your spouse to drift apart, listen in as Dr. Greg Smalley and his wife, Erin, offer practical suggestions for rekindling intimacy in a discussion based on their book Reconnected: Moving From Roomates to Soulmates in Your Marriage. (Part 1 of 2)

Dr. Tony Evans and Lisa Anderson describe how single adults can live full and complete lives. (Part 1 of 2)

Dr. Tony Evans and Lisa Anderson describe how single adults can live full and complete lives. (Part 2 of 2)