kids Archives

Is Intentional Childlessness Biblical?

Time magazine’s provocative cover story last week, “The Childfree Life,” explores why some couples are choosing to deliberately not have children and taps into a larger, worldwide trend towards smaller families.

A good portion of the piece is rooted in cultural observation and fact.

Not surprisingly, some of the causes are found in modern life. Young couples are marrying later, if at all, and instead of having children, they’re increasingly choosing to pursue college and advanced degrees and becoming more active in the work force.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, kids, parenting August 19, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How God Used a Young Man with Special Needs to Communicate on His Behalf

A few weeks ago I shared a moving video about a young couple and their newborn child that inspired many of you to tell me your own stories of love, loss and the dignity of every human life. Today I want to tell you how that video came to be – and to introduce you to the two very special men, a real-life father and son, who starred in the short feature “A Letter from Dad.”

Jim Mhoon serves as the vice president of content development here at Focus.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting August 7, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Can Parents Help Their Children After Divorce?

Earlier this week we aired a broadcast dealing with a difficult and sensitive issue: how can a man and woman who are divorced co-parent their children successfully?

It can be a challenging issue to navigate. We know God’s heart is for marriage and divorce is outside His intent. That’s why we encourage couples in crisis to do everything they can to work out differences through prayer, counseling and community support.

However, the reality remains that sometimes, divorce happens.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: divorce, kids, parenting August 1, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Should Parents Define Happiness?

Scientists love to study how happy parents are (or aren’t). Year after year, news outlets report on the topic, touting studies that they say either find how unhappy parents are, or how much satisfaction and “positive emotion” children bring to their parents’ lives.

Here are some samples of the findings on this topic – as you’ll see, there’s a wide array of results.

A 2007 Pew report found children are still vital to adult happiness.
Fox News describe how “parents report significantly higher levels of depression than non-parents”
Research in the journal Psychological Science found that overall, “parents (and especially fathers) report relatively higher levels of happiness, positive emotion, and meaning in life than do non-parents.”
The Wall Street Journal reports “every additional child makes parents 1.3 percentage points less likely to be ‘very happy’”

Andrew Hess is one of our staff researchers, and he recently attempted to make sense of these findings.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, marriage, parenting July 31, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Thoughts on Pastor Rick Warren’s Return to the Pulpit

By now you’ve heard that pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren returned to the pulpit this past Sunday for the first time since his son’s suicide in April.

Matthew Warren, 27, struggled with mental illness since childhood. According to the Warrens, Matthew received the best medical care and counseling available. He had good days and very bad ones, but it was unpredictable and naturally very difficult. In the midst of this decades-long ordeal, the Warrens led and built up a church congregation of over ten thousand people.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, pastors July 30, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

After Your Royal Baby Comes Home

It’s difficult to turn on the TV or visit online news sites without getting an update about the “royal baby” or seeing footage of the beaming parents introducing their son to the world. Joy and optimism are written across their faces. Like any new parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will undoubtedly spend many long moments gazing at their son and marveling at every perfect detail. Jean and I have so many fond memories of studying the perfect faces of Trent and Troy when they were first born.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting July 25, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Story Behind the Preborn Baby with Down Syndrome

The heartwarming story taking the Internet by storm the past few days almost reads like a fast-paced movie script.

A young couple pregnant with a baby diagnosed with Down syndrome are planning to abort. A priest learns about the situation, and steps in. He tells the couple he’ll find a home for that baby if they choose to deliver – however, the woman is planning her abortion for the next day.

It’s a race against time, so the Rev.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting July 11, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Things Every Dad Should Know

When I was an eight-year-old boy, I looked to Hank, the father figure in my life, for all the things the other kids my age seemed to enjoy with their dads. Sadly, Hank wasn’t willing to be engaged in my life. He adored my mom, but my siblings and I were simply excess baggage. While my mother was affectionate and nurturing, Hank’s love for us was missing in action. As a youngster longing for a strong, caring father figure in my life, it would have gone a long way toward forging a close bond between Hank and my siblings and me if he had:

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, kids, parenting, relationships July 10, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Was George Carlin Right?

We’ve just returned from a great week of camping in Yellowstone National Park. I need to plow into all the work that accumulated while we were away, but before doing so, I wanted to share one quick thought.

The late comedian George Carlin once said, “Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.”

I get it! Perhaps a soft bed and a warm shower are more your style.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting July 8, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Trent’s First Fish

Have you ever noticed that when kids are young and growing fast, something from only four years back seems like an eternity ago? In that spirit, I’d like to share a great memory with you – “way back” from 2009. I hope it brings a smile to your face. Have a great weekend!

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My dad never took me fishing—which explains why I don’t know what I’m doing when it comes to the sport. I was never shown the ropes.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting July 5, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura