Family by God&#039;s Design

We Need a Recess!!

If you’re old enough, you might remember having recess at school. It was a break from the classroom as well as a chance to run around, socialize, and engage in unstructured play. After WWII, 60-90 minute of recess became the norm for elementary school students. And research supported it, suggesting that children benefit academically, socially,...

Celebration Family Shepherds

family relationships fun rest restoration

June 21, 2025

To Teach or Nurture Kindness

I love children. They fascinate me with their innate intelligence, their rapid and changing development, their capacity for learning, their openness…. Truly, they amaze me. This study, exploring the helping behavior of a diverse group of 11- to 20-month-old babies (over half were Black and low-income), contributes to my amazement. To begin the study, researchers...

Family Shepherds

kindness nurture parenting

June 16, 2025

In Your Marriage, Don’t Say This…Say That

If you’ve married for any length of time, you have probably discovered that some statements hurt your marital relationships while others strengthen your marital relationship. Some are subtle, even somewhat surprising. Some are quite obvious. But learning the difference between statements that hurt your marriage and statements that damage your marriage will make the difference...

Honor

intimacy marital satisfaction marriage power of words

June 16, 2025

Just Something to Consider

A study involving close to 2,000 children offers an interesting finding. The researchers examined children’s exposure to violent television content at the ages of 3.5 and 4.5 years. Screen violence included physical aggression, verbal aggression, and relational aggression intended or attempting to cause harm to others. When the same children were 15-years-old, the researchers interviewed...

Family Shepherds

adolescence parenting screen time violence

May 26, 2025

The Pervasive Impact of Neglect

Everyone recognizes that abuse has many negative impacts on a child. But do you realize that abuse comes in different forms? There is physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Neglect occurs when a parent does not provide for a child’s basic necessities, their daily needs for such things as food, shelter, clothing, or...

Family Shepherds

child development discipline healthy development parenting safety

May 24, 2025

*To Calm A Quarrel

“A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.” (Proverbs 15:18, NIV) In our culture the demand to be heard is strong, even overpowering at times. Perhaps this demand to be heard has grown in response to a lack of listening that manifests itself in rejection, oppression, disregarding of...

Grace Honor

husband marriage parent child relationship patience wife

May 19, 2025

*A Fellow-Heir

Women have always had a special standing in the heart of God. Men may have, at times, attempted to make them second-class citizens, but God has always held women in high esteem. He created women with a special purpose, a purpose that has often been misconstrued. Specifically, He created women as a “suitable helper” (Genesis...

Book Reviews Honor

husbands love marriage value

May 17, 2025

An Amplifier Your Family Needs

Gratitude doesn’t come easily. We have a built-in “danger alert system” that keeps us keenly aware of the threats and dangers around us. This negative bias captures our attention, screaming warnings about safety and caution, keeping us ever vigilante of potential dangers. Of course, this does play an important role in our lives. The danger...

Celebration

awe emotional health family gratitude

May 12, 2025

Growing Neighborhoods by Growing Children

Who wants to improve their neighborhood and the well-being of our youth? We all do. We desire safer, more well-connected neighborhoods; and we know that safe, well-connected neighborhoods will enhance the well-being of our families and our children. But how can we accomplish this? At least one person offered an idea that I believe holds...