Our conversation yesterday at breakfast was helpful for me as a mother. As a result, I became more aware that one reason that my children are not always obedient is that they don’t fear God. They don’t believe he is a good God who will give them everything they need. They don’t think about displeasing […]
Is It a Battle?
I’ve heard various Christians react to the apparent conflict between shepherding a child, and winning the battles of authority. Regardless of how you want to label the conflict, I had a good experience this morning loving and caring for my twenty month old. She ran away with sister’s toy, and when I told her to […]
Are You Going to Obey?
One of the questions we ask our children is “Are you going to obey?” This question clarifies that the command is not an optional wish the parents are making, something especially important with very young children. It emphasizes that obedience is a choice, and it communicates my desire for the child to do right. Some […]
Working Dogs and Obedience
Last night we were driving back from El Paso, where Lee had some training over the weekend. There’s a border patrol stop on the way home, and the children were fascinated by the dogs that were walking by each car that stopped. We explained that they were looking for drugs. We had to explain what […]