Good conversations are like windows; they help us see and be seen. Children can be fascinating conversationalists, but sometimes we grownups need a little help asking questions that will get kids talking. Conversations with your child create heart-to-heart connection. You get to learn what your child feels and thinks and what she experiences away from…
Posts Categorized: Parenting
Teaching Children to Be Thankful (and a Conversation About Poop)
Thank You for the world so sweet, Thank You for the food we eat, Thank You for the birds that sing, Thank You, God, for everything. Do you remember learning this little rhyme? I do. And children still learn it and use it as a table grace. One of my pre-K grandsons recited it just…
Living a Godly Legacy—Part 4
In this series I’ve said that how we live every day becomes our legacy, that God instructs us to communicate faith in Him to the next generation, and that He tells us how. We’ve also looked at specific ways to help our kids and grandkids experience and grow in faith by how we bring God…
Living a Godly Legacy—Part 3
You want your children or grandchildren to know that God and faith are important parts of daily life, but sometimes it seems impossible, right? Getting everyone off to school or childcare and getting everyone to bed on time can seem like herding cats. How can you add one more activity to your family’s busy schedule?…
Living a Godly Legacy—Part 2
In Part 1 of this series, I talked about living a legacy for our children and grandchildren—realizing that the way we live every day is the legacy we will leave. Is a legacy of faith your goal like it is mine? Then here in Part 2, let’s begin by looking at our own relationship with…
Living a Godly Legacy—Part 1
Last fall two different events—a sermon and a MOPS talk—got me thinking about how we pass faith on to the next generation. I realized we don’t just leave a legacy, we actually live it too. Legacy: “A gift; something passed on; something received from the past; the influence of a person or thing.” What we…
Start Here: Reading to Babies? Yes! Here’s How
Did you know that a book is a great investment in the spiritual development of a baby? It’s true. It’s never too early to read to a child, even a child still in utero. Babies learn to recognize the voices they hear repeatedly in the womb. Then, during babies’ first year, introducing them to books…
The Right Way to Praise Children
We speak thousands of words in a day. With many of them, we try to encourage a positive self-image in our children or grandchildren: “Good job, buddy” when he successfully builds a tower with blocks. “You did great!” when she adds the final puzzle piece. “You’re so strong” when he makes it across the crossing…
5 Ways to Help Little Ones Learn to Talk
In the early months, your baby moves from crying as her main means of communication to vocalizing, smiling at you, and maybe even mimicking your facial expressions. It’s an exciting time! Here are 5 ideas you can use to keep your baby moving along that exciting path to acquiring language. 1. Talk, babble, sing, and…
How Your Little One Learns to Talk
In Your Baby’s First Word Will Be Dada, determined animal dads try—but fail—to get their adorable offspring to say Dada. It’s a quirky, funny take on the fascinating human task of learning to talk. For quite a while, I’ve wondered how it is that babies can seem to understand so much, and even think, long before…