Family by God&#039;s Design

Vitamin “Be” Encourages Your Children to Talk to You

When I was in college, one of our professors preached a sermon on “Vitamin B.” It was a sermon on the “Be”-attitudes from the Sermon on the Mount. It was a fun sermon. Thinking back on this “got me to thinking about” what “vitamin be’s” might benefit our families and children. Here is the “Vitamin...

attention availability communication family intimacy parent child relationship

December 5, 2016

Parents, HOW You Say It Is As Important As WHAT You Say!

I remember hearing people telling me, “Think before you speak.” As a child and teen, I could avoid saying hurtful things, stupid things, and unnecessary things when I remembered to “think before speaking.” Unfortunately, I sometimes spoke before thinking…and then suffered the consequences. Well, that advice holds true for parents as well as children. Parents,...

communication discipline effort intimacy listen teach

November 26, 2016

Family Wisdom from the Rolling Stones

Behaviors and traits have consequences in our lives. Everyone knows that. That’s why we discipline and guide our children in developing traits and behaviors that will bring them the greatest success and happiness. Through discipline, we steer our children away from several negative traits, such as entitlement…and for good reason. Researchers have recently mapped out...

Family Shepherds Honor

discipline effort gratitude humility praise

November 12, 2016

3 Factors that Give Meaning to Your Teen’s Life

I had the opportunity to volunteer in a nursing home throughout my teen years. My father was a chaplain in the home and I would help “wheel” the residents to church or some other activity. I also had the opportunity to help at an inner city mission several times during my teens and early twenties....

Family Shepherds Uncategorized

acceptance goals parenting purpose

November 5, 2016

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Are You Robbing Your Child?

I noticed it first at Kennywood, a local amusement park near my home. A young boy (I would guess 6- or 7-years-old) stood in line with his father while waiting for a ride. The boy was desperately trying to gain his father’s attention. He hung on his father’s arm, pulled his father’s shirt, called out...

Family Shepherds Honor

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October 29, 2016

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The Enemy of Teen Sleep

Cell phones have become the enemy of sleep for many teens. It’s no surprise when you consider these stats: 62% of teens check their phone after bedtime. 87% tweet and text after going to bed. 21% wake up if a text comes through during the night. (Read Teen Cell Phone Use at Bedtime Leads to...

adolescence sleep teen

October 24, 2016

4 Gifts Our Sons Desperately Need

I don’t want to come across as extreme or sound too alarmist, but look at these statistics. Males account for 77.9% of all suicides in the United States. That would suggest about 88 men commit suicide every day, one every 16 minutes! (Click here for more information ) Males make up 80% of fatal heroin...

awe and wonder connection emotions parenting sons

October 17, 2016

What is Shaping Your Children’s Mind

Recent data from Extreamist showed children between 2-18 years old stream about 1.8 hours of content from Netflix, Hulu, Your Tube, or other online services each day. This adds up to 650 hours per year. On the other hand, data from the National Wild Life Federations suggests children spend an average of 4-7 minutes playing outdoors...

Celebration Family Shepherds

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October 15, 2016

“Mom, It’s Just Marijuana”…Really?

The perception of marijuana has changed dramatically in recent years. With this change in perception, teens increasingly report a belief that marijuana is completely safe and, in fact, seem to believe it enhances their lives physically and mentally. Parents also seem more open to their children using marijuana. With all this in mind, I wanted...