Family by God&#039;s Design

The #1 Ingredient of Growth & Learning

We all want to learn and grow, don’t we? Even more, we want our children to learn and grow. We want our whole family to become wiser and more mature with each passing day. There is one ingredient that will promote this growth more than any other ingredient: relationships. We learn more effectively and more...

Family Shepherds Honor

brain development development family intimacy family relationship growth learning relationship

October 7, 2025

The Philosophy of Tortoise

We live in a world that creates in us a “need for speed.” We want our food fast, our goals achieved fast, and our problems solved even faster. As a result, when a problem arises, the default mode is to “attack” it with speed so we can “get it done.” But speed is not always...

Celebration

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September 1, 2025

A Story to Greater Happiness?

There’s a myth that aging through midlife and into late adulthood is a time of crisis. You know, the midlife crisis. However, late midlife can actually be a time of personal growth and greater “self-transcendence.” A study from a psychologist at the University of Buffalo supports the idea of late midlife as a time of...

Celebration Honor

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August 9, 2025

5 Actions to Nurture Children’s Emotional Health in Adulthood

We all want our children to mature into adults who are generally happy but still experience a full range of healthy emotions. We nurture them so they can not only experience a full range of emotions but manage those emotions in a healthy way. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) interferes with that goal. A study published...

Family Shepherds Honor

adverse childhood experiences development emotional development family intimacy parenting

July 28, 2025

Imagine That!

Did you ever think about some future event, playing out in your mind how the scene might sound or feel as well as the impact of various responses? Maybe it was a visualization of how to approach a friend about a sensitive topic, how to respond to a particular troubling situation you’re concerned about, or...

Family Shepherds

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January 13, 2025

Transcendent Thinking & Your Teen

Our teens and children face many struggles, obstacles that can potentially harm them. There are, however, also factors that can support and strengthen teens. One of the most important factors of course is a strong, supportive family. A study published in the Journal of Research on Adolescence and completed by a team from CANDLE (USC...

Family Shepherds

brain development cognitive health development stress management violence

November 30, 2024

Gender: A Social Construct or Hard-wired

Gender has become a hot topic today. As with all hot topics, we often end up “dying on a hill” of simplified rhetoric and avoiding the nuanced truth. Is gender socially constructed or hardwired? Yes, it is both. Some aspects of feminine and masculine characteristics vary from culture to culture and, as a result, are...

Family Shepherds Honor

development discipline gender parenting

June 22, 2024

The Success of the “Good Enough Parent”

Donald Winnicott, a British pediatrician, coined the term “good enough mother” in the 1950’s. Today, however, many parents fear that “good enough” just isn’t good enough. They strive to become the “perfect parent.” But becoming a “perfect parent” just isn’t possible. In fact, striving to become the “perfect parent” will backfire and create even more...

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February 3, 2024

Middle School & Mental Health…Like Riding a Bike

If you have a child in middle school or approaching middle school, you’ll want to know this information to help protect their mental health. You already know that middle school is a time of change and transition. Middle school age youth encounter transitions in their physical bodies, their social lives, and their sense of growing...