Daly Focus Blog
A father’s love is imprinted on the heart of a son.
As a father of two boys, that sentiment stops me in my tracks. I didn’t have a good role model for fatherhood growing up. My dad died an alcoholic, and my stepdad walked out on my siblings and me the day of my mother’s funeral. After that, I went into foster care for almost two years.
Maybe your dad didn’t leave a positive imprint on your heart, either.
Sometimes what you say and what other people hear can be two very different things.
Maybe you can relate to a young mother from Ohio who wanted her family to be a beacon of hope during the COVID lockdown. She handed chalk to her two boys – ages six and eight – and asked them to write messages on the driveway. She wanted delivery drivers and passersby to be greeted with encouragement and good cheer. Later, when she checked on her kids’ progress, she discovered boys had covered the driveway and sidewalks with messages like, “Stay away!” “Do not enter!” and “Get lost!”
Misunderstandings like that happen a lot in marriage, too.
Many moms and dads parent out of fear because the challenges their children face seem much greater than previous generations. They feel unsure about guiding their teen through the pressures of social media, depression, anxiety and addiction. They feel even less confident about helping their teen develop a sincere faith.
Jodie Berndt is a Bible teacher and speaker whose latest book is called Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens. She’s with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Praying for Your Teens Heart and Future” to share how to strengthen your teenager’s character for the inevitable crises to come by creating habits of prayer.
Helping children navigate the ever-changing world of technology and social media can be overwhelming. Nevertheless, it’s an important part of today’s parenting agenda. Entertainment consumption shapes who we are, how we think and what we believe. That’s especially true of impressionable children.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Becoming a Screen Savvy Family,” we’re looking at what God’s word says about teaching children discernment in entertainment choices.
In studio with me are two members of our Plugged In staff.
I’ve always believed that a child’s first teachers are mom and dad. Most parents understand their role during their child’s preschool years. But once their child begins elementary school, many parents defer a lot of educational responsibilities to teachers and administrators. In short, they step back and let the professionals take over.
Tragically, that’s a dangerous thing to do these days. There is growing dissonance between parents and once-trusted public school systems. Traditional teaching curriculum have been replaced by alarming agendas of liberal politics, social justice, gender confusion and even sexual exploitation.
More and more young people, especially girls, are experiencing gender confusion. Ten years ago, the prevalence of transgenderism in children was 0.1% in the US. Now it’s 2-3%. That’s an increase of 4000%. Why?
Here’s another important question to answer: Is medical gender transition necessary to prevent youth suicide?
To answer those questions and others, I’m talking to Dr. Meg Meeker and Laura Perry Smalts on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “God’s Amazing Grace in a Transgendered Person’s Life.”
Dr.
When my son, Trent, was a teenager, I asked him to rake pine needles out of a rock bed in the front yard. He did a good job, but a couple of times I had to urge him to give a little more effort. Trent often declared a task “good enough” a bit too soon.
My younger son, Troy, faced a different problem. He was so meticulous, he might have kept on raking pine needles until he’d picked up every last one in the neighborhood.
Lying has been a chronic problem in schools for generations, but it’s rarely been the teachers not telling the truth.
A lawsuit in California claims Christian teachers in the Golden State are being forced to conceal critical details from parents of sexually confused children.
Elizabeth Mirabelli and Lori Ann West are teachers employed by the Escondido Union School District. In a lawsuit filed against their district, the educators allege they’re being forced to not only participate in the “social transition” of kids – but also lie to their parents if asked about it.
One of my boys is strong-willed. Over the years, Jean and I have joked that we were raising a lawyer-in-training. He could find a loophole in anything.
Once, Jean hosted a women’s tea and set out chocolates in the living room. She later discovered half the bowl was gone. When she asked our son if he’d eaten all the chocolates, he responded, “No,” without hesitation.
“You didn’t eat the chocolates?”
“Oh, I ate some of them.
The pro-life issue is close to my heart. And defending pre-born babies is a huge part of what we do at Focus on the Family. Few people are more vulnerable than pre-born children and women facing unplanned pregnancies.
And few people have a greater passion to protect the vulnerable than Kristan Hawkins. She’s the head of Students for Life, a pro-life organization working primarily on college campuses. She also does nationwide interviews on the topic of abortion.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
