Category: Manners

“Me First”

We picked out another Helen Lester book at the library the other day, called Me First. I thought it would be a good conversation starter, and although it has been, I realized that the moral of the story is actually selfishly polite. Why should we share? Because sometimes being first isn’t desirable for my pleasure [...]

Popularity: 14% [?]


Destructiveness, Part 2

This post is a result of a discussion about destructiveness. I made the statement that young children do not by and large understand the value of property. This statement was challenged, so I’ve been reevaluating what I think.
I still stand by my statement, with a qualifier that perhaps my own children uniquely do not understand [...]

Popularity: 12% [?]


How to Respond to Destructive Behavior

My two children were happily eating a midmorning apple at the table, while I sat and tried to concentrate on writing the next Pulitzer quality blog post. After awhile, I became aware of a curious noise of something small hitting the kitchen floor. A child must have found some dried piece of food on the [...]

Popularity: 16% [?]


Is Thankfulness Scriptural?

I spent some time with my Nave’s Topical Bible looking at thankfulness verses. Nave’s is a cool book that organizes Bible verses by topic. You can find it online, but I like the paper version better. Guess I need to spend more time reading, because while I read a lot about thankfulness to God (Psalm [...]

Popularity: 12% [?]


Saying Thank You

David was given a belated birthday gift. It was a good gift, one that I was sure he would enjoy, but he refused to say thank you for it. When I was growing up, this was not an option. If you didn’t say thank you, you didn’t get the gift. But when I informed David [...]

Popularity: 11% [?]


Polite or Unselfish?

The probing question in chapter one of my mom’s book, Parenting with Wisdom (formerly titled Teaching Children Precept upon Precept), is “What distinguishes a godly Christian parent any other parent?”
It’s a good question. I’ve known a number of excellent mothers who were unsaved. Their children were respectful, obedient, modestly dressed. It isn’t spanking, going to [...]

Popularity: 16% [?]


Thank You for Obedience?

When do you say “thank-you” to your children?

 When they do something kind unexpectedly, without prompting.
When they respond to a polite request, like “Please pass the broccoli” or “Please bring me a diaper for baby.”
When they do something they are supposed to be doing: “Thank you for playing so unselfishly with your sister” or “Thank you [...]

Popularity: 13% [?]


Humility and Thankfulness

In Romans 1, there’s a description of a rebel against God. In the midst of a truly terrible picture, one phrase seems out of place, apparently benign in comparison to the rest of the description. This arrogant rebel is unthankful.
Unthankfulness is more than simply poor manners. It is a symptom of the pride that plagues [...]

Popularity: 12% [?]


Birthday Manners

Birthdays are great teaching occasions, especially birthday parties of moms who love big crowds and are brave enough to invite a large number of preschoolers. You have the opportunity of testing manners (“Please may I have more punch” four times), you have the opportunity of getting along with other children, and opportunities for obedience and [...]

Popularity: 11% [?]


Saying “Please”

Awhile back, I mentioned that since Bethel was using only one word (never two), I didn’t require her to say please when she asked for something. (i.e., I had her say what she wanted: “Milk”) As long as she wasn’t whining for it, or crying, that was sufficient. I usually repeated her one word along [...]

Popularity: 12% [?]


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  • Proverbs 24:3-4

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  • I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog, but my greatest desire for my audience is that they would be inspired and motivated to search the Scriptures for themselves. God promises to give wisdom to any believer who searches for it His way. Here are some Bible study links I have found of interest and help.

    Chronological Bible: ESV
    Read the Bible chronologically. The first time I read through the Bible in the order everything happened, I learned so much and gained an incredible understanding of the big picture of Scripture. If you've never done it, you should!

    Bible Gateway
    From this website you can search for scriptures in a number of versions and languages by key words, phrases, or references. I use this website often when I post Scripture on my blog, so then I don't have to worry about typing in the verse accurately.

    Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
    This is a fantastic online version of a classic reference tool. Basically this is a list of cross references based on particular passages. Simply click on the verse or passage you are studying, and you will find other references to other relevant Scripture.

    Bible Commentaries Online
    A list of classic Bible commentaries. Sometimes they're hard to understand, but they can be helpful when you're wanting more insight into a passage you are studying.

    More Bible Study Resources
    This is a page of links for articles and audio on the topic of studying the Bible. Some are not easy to read, but they are helpful. The rest of this website has a tremendous amount of resources that may be of interest.