parenting Archives

Helping Your “Different” Child

What would you do if your child was diagnosed with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), ADHD, ADD, and ODD (Oppositional Defiance Disorder)?

I like how Sally Clarkson responded. When her son Nathan was little, she wasn’t sure what she was dealing with, but she knew there was something about him that was different than other so-called “good” kids.

He frequently got into trouble and needed to talk – to argue, to ask questions, to complain. He was constantly moving, wiggling, and fidgeting with anything and anyone around him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, kids, parenting August 7, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Unlocking the Secret to Your Child’s Ability to Learn

So, here’s the scenario. It’s a weeknight, and your child has spent most of the evening on the same school assignment. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t understand the information. To top it off, he’s brought home a note from the teacher warning you about a failing grade. Now what do you do?

Parents often assume the worst, thinking their child has a behavior problem, difficulty learning, or is just plain lazy. In fact, most of the time, school challenges like this aren’t a crisis.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, kids, parenting August 4, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Your Son Needs More Than Love

Mom, God has wired you to love your son. Your soft, nurturing spirit is critical to his development. But as he grows into a young man, love will no longer be his primary emotional need from you.

Let my own high school football days open a window into your boy’s heart. I’ve had more than one coach grab me by the facemask and challenge my performance. Sometimes the whole locker room got it at once. “You guys are great athletes,” the coach would shout.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting July 21, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Baby Charlie and the Chilling Consequences of Socialized Medicine

By now you’ve surely heard about Charlie Gard, the 11-month-old British baby boy. This little fellow is at the center of a controversial court struggle over who should make his medical decisions: his doctors, or his parents?

Charlie was born healthy to first-time parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, but was soon diagnosed with mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome (MDDS) – an inherited disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.

Charlie shares this condition with only 16 other people in the world.

Topics: Current Events Tags: news, parenting, pro-life July 14, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are You Messing Up Your Kids?

Author Dannah Gresh says one of the most common fears mothers share with her is, “Am I messing up my kids?”

Her answer: Yes.

That may not seem like a very encouraging response, but if you’re struggling as a parent, you need peace. And to get peace, you need truth. And the truth is, every parent – myself included – is in the same boat.

We’re imperfect people raising imperfect people.

But if that’s true, how do moms learn to trust God with their parenting and with their children?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting July 11, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Moms and Dads: Live. Laugh. Make a Memory.

I like being busy and working hard. God gave us work for our benefit. It’s meant to enrich our lives while we’re providing for our families.

But too much of a good thing ain’t so good. If you’re not careful, you can miss the joys of life along the way.

Several years ago, when my now teenage boys were just little guys, I had an encounter with Trent and Troy that has become a cherished memory.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, parenting July 3, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Feel Like a Bad Parent? There’s Hope. And Here’s Why.

I used to believe there was such a thing as perfect families. It started with The Brady Bunch. Mike and Carol were loving parents, the kids always seemed happy, and the family’s problems were not only minimal but easy to solve.

As I grew older, I wondered if everybody else around me had a perfect family, too. That’s how they all looked from the outside, anyway.

I’ve been ministering to families for nearly three decades, and I can tell you that a lot of parents feel intense pressure to be perfect.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting June 27, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Korie Robertson on Raising Strong, Kind Children

It’s quite a challenge to raise your children in front of a national audience. It’s even more of an accomplishment when parents everywhere admire you for how respectful and in love with God your children are.

That’s one of the most frequent responses Korie Robertson has gotten in the years since her family’s television show, A&E’s “Duck Dynasty,” first aired. She and her husband, Willie, have six children, three of whom they’ve adopted.

If you’ve seen the show, you’ve probably noticed that the couple’s children always answer adults with a “Yes, ma’am” or a “No, sir.” Fans often ask her how she teaches her kids to be respectful and to have a deep faith in Christ.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting June 12, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Which Comes First: A Disrespectful Teen… or a Disrespectful Parent?

Disrespect is a common problem between kids and their parents today.

It’s hard to deal with someone who refuses to consider other people’s opinions, who interrupts when someone else is talking, or who never apologizes for their own mistakes.

Sounds like I’m talking about teenagers, doesn’t it? Well, I’m actually referring to the way some parents behave.

Spewing anger or yelling careless words to control a child will get compliance – at least for that moment.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting June 6, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Help Your Kids Leave and Cleave Well

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

That verse is Genesis 2:24. It’s usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.

It declares that a man will leave his father and mother. The verse assumes that our children will leave home as an adult, not as a child who must then set out on a journey to become a grownup on their own.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, parenting June 5, 2017 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura