Parenting From The Source

School shootings continue to be a topic of discussion on television. How do you make your kids feel safe? Friends talk about it, teachers instruct about lock-downs, and TV airways retell the stories. Find the Signs That They Are Worried Because small children don’t have enough understanding or words, they may not ask questions. That [...]

As news about school shootings blared from the TV, Amy walked into the family room to find five-year-old Joshua watching the news report. Apparently his older sister left it turned on. “Mom, look what happened at that school. Someone came in and shot the children.” “Oh, honey, I’m sorry you had to see that. It’s [...]

Gentleness, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), might seem out of place in our brusque, twenty-first century world. However, when Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians, the world was no less harsh than today. Perhaps it’s that very harshness that makes a gentle spirit so valued. Teaching Gentleness to a Toddler A toddler [...]

Goodness, a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), can also be called righteousness or moral excellence. What does that look like in a child, and how do we guide our children to embrace goodness? Goodness at Age Three Emma and Madison, three-year-old friends, are playing with their dolls while their mothers visit nearby. Emma reaches [...]

Kindness in children is a joy to observe. A three-year-old generously shares her toys with a visiting friend. A fourth-grader joins a handicapped classmate in the cafeteria, because she’s at a table by herself. A sophomore stops in a crowded hallway to help a fellow student pick up the books he dropped. Kindness is a Fruit [...]

Teaching patience to a child is a challenge. When my grandson was two, he began impatiently watching for his PaPa’s return from the farm almost as soon as the pickup was out of sight. When a two-year-old waits six months for Christmas, he’s waiting one fourth of the lifetime he’s lived up to that point. [...]

Improving child behavior depends on the child’s learning that there will always be consequences for his or her actions. They either happen naturally or are created by parents to fit the misbehavior.