Family by God&#039;s Design

Mom: Buffering…Buffering

Sadly, our children witness many traumatic events. They may see them in person, on their screens, in the news…. It’s hard to protect them from everything that is going on around us. But a study published in Stress and Health suggests that parents (mothers in this study) play an important role in helping children learn...

Family Shepherds

healthy development mother parent responsiveness stress management

March 15, 2025

Your Stress & Your Spouse’s Happiness

Does stress ever impact your marriage and family life? Maybe you’re feeling the impact of stress on your family right now. I know stress impacts my marriage and family. But I have some good news. Research completed by the University of California, Davis, offers some helpful advice. In this study, the researchers analyzed 321 adults...

Celebration Honor

happiness intimacy marriage stress management

March 10, 2025

Are You Your Child’s Classroom Distraction?

The survey by EdWeek Research Center is in…and the results may surprise you. Specifically, nearly half (47%) of the teachers, principals, and school district leaders surveyed reported that parents are texting, emailing, or messaging their children during class time…at least daily. Another 11% reported parents texting, emailing, or messaging their children during class time a...

Family Shepherds

education parenting school smartphone

March 8, 2025

Money & the Root of Marital Conflict?

I often hear people say that money is “the issue that is most often at the root of marital problems.” I agree that money gives rise to many problems, but I don’t believe it is the root of those problems. It is not the money in and of itself that creates the problem. Yes, money...

Honor

communication conflict intimacy marriage money

March 3, 2025

Want to Raise Independent Children? You Have to Change

Do you want to raise independent children? Children who complete tasks independently and show resilience in the face of struggle? I think we all do…and a study published in Child Development reveals a simple way parents either promote or hinder a child’s independence. In this study, parent-child pairs were divided into two groups and asked...

Family Shepherds

independence learning long-term perspective parenting resilience

March 1, 2025

Forgive Myself? And My Family?

Many people have told me, “I can’t forgive myself.” Why? Some say they don’t feel deserving of forgiveness. Others fear if they forgive themselves, they engage in the same negative behavior again. They believe guilt keeps them from committing the same error. Neither of these fears are true. In fact, forgiving ourselves actually has several...

Grace

family intimacy forgiveness intimacy marriage

February 24, 2025

A Family Check

Take a moment and think back to the time when you were engaged and preparing for marriage. What were your dreams about marriage? How did you envision the daily life of marriage? What values and priorities did you want to live out in your marriage? Take another moment. Consider the time when you were anticipating...