Family by God&#039;s Design

Parents, Manage Your Emotions

If you’re a parent, you know that raising children arouses a lot of emotions. Those emotions range from joy to sorrow to anger to guilt and more. They occur when we witness our children doing wonderful things and when our children snap back in anger at a limit we set. We experience emotions when we...

emotional health emotional management parent child relationship parenting

May 18, 2026

3 Ingredients of a Well-Fed Brain…and How to Get Them

We are designed for relationships. In fact, John Bowlby, who is credited with founding attachment theory, went so far as to say loving, secure relationships with our primary caregiver are as essential to life as water and food. And research suggests that “Loneliness Is More Dangerous Than Smoking 15 Cigarettes A Day.” At least one...

Celebration Honor

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May 11, 2026

Infants, Screen Time, & The Brain

A study published in eBioMedicine followed 168 children for more than a decade. Starting in infancy, the research team measured the infants’ screen time and then conducted brain scans at 4.5, 6, and 7.5 years of age. Screen use during infancy impact brain development, especially during the sensitive period of infant brain development. Specific to...

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May 2, 2026

What Would You Do?

Jean Twenge describes two scenarios for parents to consider: Stated that way, most of us have no problem saying, “No way” and putting an immediate stop to the potential damage that such behaviors could cause. However, when we give our children smartphones, we have essentially said “Yes” to both scenarios. Smartphones have made these scenarios...

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April 4, 2026

Change Your Child’s World, Read to Your Child

We all want our children to grow into mature, compassionate, and productive adults. We also want them to have positive relationships, beginning with their relationship with us. We want them to have the wisdom and knowledge to not only live better lives than we have lived but to create an even better world than the...

Family Shepherds Honor

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March 30, 2026

Join the Revolution of a Healthy Family

Tired of the chaos that fills our society? Looking for a way to make a real difference? I have a great solution for you to consider. It may sound too simplistic, but it is powerful. Build a healthy, happy family. Fill your children’s lives with “Positive Childhood Experiences” (PCEs). Before you cast this idea off...

Celebration Family Shepherds Grace Honor

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February 14, 2026

“You’re Such a 5-Year-Old”

My daughter is fond of telling me, “You are such a 5-year-old,” when I do something silly to tease her. I know she’s playing; and really, I take it as a compliment. So, I just smile and do something else to confirm her accusation, even if it’s telling a “dad joke.” It’s a short example...

Celebration Family Shepherds

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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...

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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...