Family by God&#039;s Design

My Teen Doesn’t Listen Anymore

Did you know that fetuses recognize their mother’s voice? That’s even before a child is born. It’s true. They do. And from birth, children prefer their mother’s voice. A study using MRI technology has even shown that the brains of 7- to 12-year-old children respond differently to their mother’s voice than to other women’s voices....

adolescence healthy development independence maturity parent child relationship teen

October 22, 2022

Help, My Child is a Perfectionist

In December, 2021, the US Surgeon General issued an “advisory on the youth mental health crisis” that was “further exposed by COVID-19 Pandemic.” Even before the pandemic, our youth struggled with depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. In fact, this report noted that “high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness increased by...

emotional health mental health perfectionism pressure stress management

October 17, 2022

The Parent-Child Relationship, Trust, & Your Child’s Future

Trust. Our children need to develop a healthy ability to trust if we want them to have healthy relationships. In psychology, our ability to trust develops based on our relationship to our parents—our attachment to our parents. If children have a secure attachment to their parent, they learn a healthy trust of other people. If...

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October 15, 2022

Save Your Way to a More Satisfying Sex Life

Stresses related to money and sex are often listed among the leading causes reported for divorce. Reasons for this go well beyond the simple issue of money and sex. Nonetheless, both money and sex are often reported as one of the reasons couples seek divorce. (See Why Do People Get Divorced? 10 Reasons And Statistics...

Celebration

marriage sexual intimacy sexual satisfaction

October 10, 2022

Be Your Spouse’s Dream Champion

Everyone wants their spouse to grow into their best self. Unfortunately (or, maybe fortunately) you cannot make them grow into their best self. But you can nurture and support their dreams. You can help them grow into their dreams and their best self by keeping these four practices in mind. Be your spouse’s dream champion...

Celebration Honor

comfort dreams intimacy marriage support

October 8, 2022

You & Your Child’s Big Emotions, Part 2

You and your Child’s Big Emotions described four factors that contribute to our children’s big emotions. These same factors give parents several hints about the best ways to respond to our children’s emotions. Let me share …. Plan ahead when you know you’re going someplace that may involve waiting. Since we know that time can...

emotional development emotional management emotions parent child relationship parenting

October 3, 2022

You, Your Family, & the World’s Analysis of Worth

It is easy to get caught up in the world’s analysis. The world bases its analytic scrutiny of personal worth and value on comparisons. And it teaches us and our children to do the same. Unfortunately, this never works out well. On one hand, we may compare ourselves with those who have more than we...

Celebration Grace

emotional health family relationships gratitude self-worth

October 1, 2022

You & Your Child’s Big Emotions

Toddlers have tantrum. Teens will sulk. In between…well, it could be almost anything. Children respond to emotions in ways that frustrate their parents and even make them feel helpless at times. But if we, as parents and adults in their lives, learn these important facts about our children’s emotions we don’t have to feel frustrated...