Family by God&#039;s Design

Gratitude Comes in All Sizes

Gratitude comes in all sizes. I don’t mean the person expressing gratitude is big or small, young or old, although they truly can be any of those. Nor am I referring to the expression of gratitude as large or small, although it may appear so to the ungrateful eye. In reality, every expression of gratitude...

Celebration Honor

family intimacy gratitude

November 18, 2025

Maternal Warmth & Teen Health

Mothers are powerful. They have a powerful influence in their children’s lives that begins early and lasts a lifetime. Consider the results of a study conducted at the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA. This study followed children from 3-years-old through 17-years-old. The researchers assessed maternal warmth when the child was 3-year-old, followed...

Family Shepherds

affection health parent child relationship parenting praise

November 17, 2025

A Prescription for Your Health…& Your Family

We all know that high blood pressure, smoking, and poor diet represent health risks. As a result, we take measures to bring our blood pressure into a healthy range, we encourage people to stop engaging in behaviors that damage our health, and we encourage a healthy diet. We address these issues because we know they...

Celebration Family Shepherds

community connection family relationships friendship involvement loneliness

November 10, 2025

Driven by a Motto of Discontent

Have you learned the “motto of discontent?” I’m sure many of us have. Maybe the commercials taught us this motto. You know, “you could be happy if you only had our product.” Maybe our parents taught us through constant complaining and wishing for more. Maybe it’s just baked into our society, rising from the yeast...

Celebration Honor

blessing gratitude optimism Thanksgiving values

November 10, 2025

Parenting & “The World Is…”

Our beliefs about the world impact how we interact with and move through the world. They also impact the ways in which we teach our children to move through and interact with the world. Perhaps more importantly, these beliefs impact our sense of well-being, our motivation, our curiosity, and even our success. That’s the message...

Celebration Family Shepherds

communication fun healthy development parent child relationship parenting

November 3, 2025

Step Out of the Conflict

Conflict arises in every relationship, even in healthy marriages. It’s inevitable, but it’s not necessarily detrimental. In fact, conflict with our spouse allows us a window into their values, priorities, and desires. If we manage the conflict well, it teaches us how to love our spouse in the best way possible. So, the question is...

Grace Honor

communication conflict resolution intimacy listen marriage

November 1, 2025

Yes, Sometimes I’m a Little Slow…

Sometimes I’m a little slow on the uptake…and according to this research, I’m not the only one. Specifically, research led by the University of Cambridge found that parents take about a year (on average) to truly understand their child’s attitude about school, to attune to their child’s perspective of school. The researchers of this study...

Family Shepherds

education observation parent child relationship parenting

October 27, 2025

Benefits of Early to Bed, Not So Early to Rise

As I write this blog, I feel the need to apologize to all the teens whose parents might read it. Breaking a cardinal rule of a good apology, let me say I truly apologize, but sleep matters. (Never include a “but” in the apology. Oh wait, never say never. Anyway, back to the topic of...

Family Shepherds

adolescence cognitive health parenting sleep

October 25, 2025

Finding Sleep in a Grocery Store

Do you ever struggle to get a good night’s sleep? Do your children? A lack of sleep has many problematic outcomes ranging from a craving for foods higher in fat and sugar to increased suicide in teens. However, a study led by researchers at the University of Chicago Medicine and Columbia University offers a way...