Parenting From The Source

Bible stories speak to each person at his or her developmental level. By the time my grandson was two years old, he wanted my daughter to read his Bible story book more than all his other books. His interest made me think about the power of Bible stories. How wonderful that God inspired those events [...]

Jesus, a master of communication, taught using parables. Prophets and teachers throughout our faith history also used stories to instruct. Stories are a great way to reach our children’s hearts and make our lessons memorable. Nathan Confronts David with a Story Nathan used a story to confront King David. (2 Samuel 12: 1-15) David had [...]

To teach spiritual lessons, the first step is establishing good communication. The second step is good teaching based on open discussion and godly instruction. Good Communication Techniques Suppose you know and use the techniques of good communication: responses that empower rather than shut down, pauses in the conversation to set the pace, the right tone [...]

Communication with your teen fails or succeeds depending on how you respond to their words. Let’s look at how that works. Teens Whose Parents Who “Go Ballistic”  In my counseling office, students discussed a wide range of topics: pregnancy, drug use, failing grades, not making the varsity team, weight problems, eating disorders, and the list [...]

An important communication skill is the ability to pace the conversation so that it doesn’t become heated. An Example from the Bible There’s a story in the Gospel of John about the scribes and Pharisees trying to catch Jesus saying something they considered wrong. They brought an adulteress before him and said that the Law [...]

Communication is improved with kids when the parent acts like the adult: Being the Adult with Your Teen and when touch is used: Using Touch in Communication. Another important factor in communication is tone of voice. Loud and High Voices = Closed Ears In family discussions, the more sensitive the subject, the louder and higher voices can become. As pitch [...]

If our children trust us and know that we respect them, we have the groundwork for building good communication. For one way to develop trust and respect see Parenting from the Source: Communication The next step is building the necessary skills. Touch Is Our First Language of Communication Touch is a basic communication skill. It’s the [...]

Wouldn’t we all like to improve communication with our kids? I see children and parents whose battles make them view each other as the enemy. No amount of good communication skills will help until the relationship is right. And, a good relationship begins with the correct perspective. God Loans Us Our Children for a Short [...]

Four techniques will make effective communication with your kids more likely. A low voice I discovered that the quieter and lower my voice, the more likely my kids would listen to me. Kids in my counseling office told me they couldn’t stand it when their parents yelled at them. They used that amazing ability teens [...]

Teens are bigger, louder, and more persistent than toddlers, so how is it possible for a parent to outlast a teen’s rebellion? (See previous blog about persistence with toddlers: To Discipline, You Must Win the Face-Off.) The thing about teens is that they love to argue and to have the last word. The Alternative to Arguing [...]