On the way home from church the other night, on a whim, I asked the children, “What verse would you think about if you were having a hard time being kind to your sister or brother?” The children were all stymied. “Children obey your parents”? We talked about some better possibilities. Then I asked, “Can [...]

Filed under: In the Car and on the Go, Scripture Memory, Using Questions

A concept that my mom spends a lot of time with in her book is teamwork. We hear of teamwork in the corporate world frequently, but it’s not common to talk of it in parenting discussions. I know that I’m more inclined to see myself as a CEO (Go clean your room) than a coach [...]

Filed under: Chores

I’ve been looking for ways that I fall short in honoring and submitting to my husband. It’s not always easy for me to identify, primarily because Lee and I generally agree on most things, and because we’re both pretty easy going in general. However, I realized recently that I’ve not been careful regarding the red [...]

Filed under: Manners, Obedience

Since I’ve talked a lot about breakfast conversations, it might interest one or two people to know that… a typical morning lately doesn’t include a mommy sitting down with all three kids at once, having a chipper conversation about spiritual things. Nope. Typically, Lee gets up early.  Michelle thinks about getting up early and making [...]

Filed under: Mealtime

One of the long-term goals we have in teaching our children is helping them to govern their own behavior. Taking initiative is not something we associate with very small children; it is a quality cultivated over time. A child who does not have control over his spirit is like a city whose protective walls of [...]

Filed under: Chores, Manners, Mealtime

Here’s the first modesty goal we’re going to talk about: I want my children to become fiercely independent in the development of personal style and color choices. I want my children to develop right opinions about modesty, far before their friends do. I want my daughters to know why they dress differently than their friends, so [...]

Filed under: Modesty and Purity

Today I’m writing down some of my goals for modesty. Then we can talk about what actions I’m taking so far to accomplish these goals.  Some of them I’m thinking years ahead, but I’m convinced that’s the best way. If you don’t have years, you might have to navigate differently. Some of these are goals [...]

Filed under: Modesty and Purity

Shaking off the blog dust… Yesterday I was reminded of something I’ve wanted to blog (think) about. As our children get older, we’ve been getting more and more opportunities to teach them about modesty. It’s a fun topic for me, and one that I’m realizing is almost completely different when it comes to teaching it [...]

Filed under: Church, Modesty and Purity

I discovered that sometimes you have to work on one thing and one thing only with a child. Don’t be all that surprised at me. I can be dense sometimes, although maybe I knew this and needed reminding. Call me forgetful as well as dense. I keep wondering why the kids’ bedrooms (one in particular) [...]

Filed under: Bedtime, Chores

Awhile back, I talked about how a child who (for whatever reason) doesn’t read often or well can be encouraged to grow spiritually. It’s taken a long time, but I finally got the whole Bible (free from Faith Comes by Hearing) on David’s old iPod that Lee connected to an old stereo in his room. [...]

Filed under: Bedtime, Child Development