Family by God&#039;s Design

Be Careful What You Teach

Children are voracious learnings. They even learn lessons from us that we don’t want them to learn. Let me share a few examples I’ve seen over the years. No parent wants to teach their child that nagging or throwing a tantrum will help them “get their way.” We don’t want our children to believe they...

behavior consequence discipline misbehavior parenting teaching

January 31, 2026

This Ladder Will Improve Your Child’s Behavior

If you’re a parent, you’ve likely experienced your child “having a tantrum.” You know what I mean. When in one of these behaviors or in some combination of them, they melt down, stiffen their body, drop to the floor, scream, cry, push, pull, stamp their feet, hit, kick, throw, or run away. Many of us,...

communication discipline emotional management parenting

October 7, 2025

To Spank or Not To Spank

Discipline presents a challenge for every parent. Sometimes we resort to corporal punishment such as spanking. I hate to tell you, but spanking is not effective. In fact, decades of research suggest that the more a parent utilizes spanking as a disciplinary tool, the higher the rates of aggression, mental health issues, and cognitive difficulties...

attention discipline parent child relationship parenting

September 1, 2025

Yelling at Children, The Rest of the Story

Every parent will experience frustration and anger in the process of raising their children. They will likely raise their voice, even yell, on occasion. It happens to all of us. But we do not want that to be the typical interaction, the pattern. We don’t want yelling to become the norm. Why? The simple answer...

Family Shepherds Honor

discipline parenting yelling

May 26, 2025

The Pervasive Impact of Neglect

Everyone recognizes that abuse has many negative impacts on a child. But do you realize that abuse comes in different forms? There is physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect. Neglect occurs when a parent does not provide for a child’s basic necessities, their daily needs for such things as food, shelter, clothing, or...

child development discipline healthy development parenting safety

January 6, 2025

A Doubly Pleasurable Reward for Parents

Parents want their children to experience happiness. Still we, as parents, must ask ourselves: what really makes our children happy? Is it simply getting what they want? Or is there something more to their happiness? If we believe that children only experience happiness when they get what they want or obtain their personal desire, we...

discipline kindness moral development parenting parenting myths

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

September 10, 2024

And We Ask, “What Do You Say?”

When our children are young, we often ask them, “What do you say?” Really, there are two scenarios that prompt parents to ask this question. One, when our children receive something from someone else and they forget to say “thank you,” we remind them. “What do you say?” Hopefully they learn to offer thanks to the...

Family Shepherds Honor

discipline politeness

April 29, 2024

“Take 10” Before Answering Your Children

Sometimes it’s best to not give your children an immediate answer. I know they’ll complain. After all, they want an answer “now.” However, there are times to “take 10” (or 20 or 30 or even a whole day) before answering. Not all answers come easily or quickly. In fact, let me offer 4 times it’s...