Parenting Articles
Gather direction for parents aiming to love and guide their kids toward godly and productive lives.
- A Better Way to Train Up A Child This article gives clarity to a verse about parenthood that is often quoted but also often misunderstood: Proverbs 22:6. Drawing from the Hebrew language, clearer explanations are given for the phrases “Train up” and “in the way he should go.” Understanding the meaning of these phrases can help parents recognize the unique gifts and distinctive qualities God has given their child in order to help the child fulfill his or her God-ordained destiny.
- A Dad's Greatest Gift
- A Gallery of Memories
- A Gift for Dad
- An Ordinary Home Can Be a Holy Place The best opportunities parents have to model spirituality and teach biblical truths to their children often come unannounced, in the midst of everyday life and events. This article gives very practical ways to be a spiritual mentor to your kids during the normalcy of life. It also encourages constant intercession for your children and discernment to recognize significant moments in their growth and development.
- Analyzing Unselfishness
- Be Tolerant (Or I'll Smack You Upside the Head) David Carl explains how much the definition of tolerance has changed in recent years. Then he gives a good argument for why believers in Jesus may need to be seen as intolerant! The Bible states absolute truths that cannot be altered to suit our comfort zones and preferences. Without holding firm to these standards, we're unable to show our unbelieving friends that the answers they'seeking are found only in Christ.
- Becoming Real
- Beyond Today
- Challenges of Siblings
- Christmas All Year Long
- Count Your Blessings
- Creating a Legacy: Preparing the Stones The pace of life is usually fast and dominated by the tyranny of the urgent. Therefore, Chuck says it’s absolutely essential for parents to record in some physical, visible way the times and events where your family sees God move in a wonderful way, perhaps in answer to a specific prayer. God’s faithfulness during the tough events of life must be remembered for when the next tough events happen. God will be honored and the faith of your children will be strengthened with these tangible reminders.
- Dating My Daughter
- Do What Is Right
- Easy Ways to Help a Family in Need
- Everyday Events: Teachable Moments Teaching a child theology in a way that holds his or her interest and makes a lasting impression sounds like a daunting task. This article shows that it’s not nearly as hard as you might think. David Carl encourages each parent to be aware of opportunities that naturally occur in everyday life to interject his or her own thoughts about God and encourage his or her child to do the same.
- Finding a Middle Way through the Midway This is a tremendously valuable article for parents who wonder just how much to protect their children from the world’s evils and how much to let them experience and learn from them. Practical ideas are given to help you guide your child through difficult decisions and peer pressure without being either too restrictive or too lenient. Key questions are suggested that will help your child to think for himself or herself and to apply biblical truth to his or her choices.
- Five Cheers for Mom
- For Dads In this succinct, powerful article, Chuck Swindoll draws from the book Temptations Men Face to enumerate six common temptations that busy fathers often struggle with, perhaps without realizing it. Any father who feels pressured by life’s demands can benefit from reading this article and applying it to his relationships with his children and his wife.
- Ghosts and the Gospel Many Christian parents struggle with how to discuss Halloween with their children, as they drive past the neighbors’ decorations of skeletons, cobwebs, and tombstones. Because it’s all but impossible to ignore the popular themes, Derrick Jeter gives some great talking points for making the season an opportunity to show your kids what the Bible has to say about death, spirits, and the afterlife.
- Good News and Bad News
- Having the Grace to Say "Yes" Many parents become so used to telling their children no when their children ask to do things that they don’t know how to discern ways that they can creatively say yes to their children’s wants and desires. This article offers that creativity and helps parents decide whether a yes or a no is more appropriate in questionable situations. It also encourages parents to discern their own motives behind the no’s they sometimes give their children.
- Honoring Men of Character
- In Good Hands Every good parent feels the responsibility to shelter his or her children from any and all harm that might befall them. After all, who loves your children more than you do? This article assures parents that God loves your children as much as you do and, because God has power and sovereignty that you lack, He can orchestrate their lives and protect them even better than you can. A good parent must learn to surrender control of his or her child into God’s capable hands in order to not hinder what He has designed for him or her.
- In Their Eyes In observing a peculiar behavior pattern of his small son, John Adair learns a lesson about temperance, humility, and how better to relate to a child. Chuckle as you read this story, and consider what you can learn from it as you desire better interaction with and understanding of the unique perspectives your own child possesses.
- It Brought Down a King, It'll Do the Same to You King Saul was someone whose love for God and His Word was lukewarm at best. Using Saul as an example, the author explains his own spiritual journey from self-centeredness and ambivalence toward God to a true love and passion for God. This transition was brought about by watching the obedience and devotion of some men God brought into his life.
- Knowing Your Child
- Letting Go, Looking Up
- Losing Our Training Wheels Drawing from an experience he had with his young daughter, the author reminds us that we cannot always see God’s perspective on the hardships we face in this life. At those times, just like David, we can express our honest feelings to God. Wayne Stiles assures us that our heavenly Father is always working in the context of His love for us and only causes events to come our way that will work to our spiritual advantage and His glory.
- Memories Chuck Swindoll shares a nostalgic and moving moment when he stumbled across a journal his mother had written at a time in his life when he had greatly needed and had received her prayers. And he recognized that the strength he’d received from her must likewise be passed on to his own children.
- Miles That Matter Chuck Swindoll recalls a cross-country trip taken with his son when Chuck drove him to college. They saw lots of different scenery and experienced lots of small-town hospitality and local flavor. But mostly they spent precious hours together before Chuck had to release his son to manhood and to being on his own—a transition that tugs at every parent’s heart.
- Morality Is Not the Point Christians tend to spend a lot of time focused on our activities and the spiritual disciplines that draw us toward holiness, but we don’t spend nearly enough time talking about the motives behind these activities. Why do you read your Bible? Why are you involved in the particular ministries you’ve chosen? This convicting article can help you discern if your emphases in your spiritual activities are from proper motivations or from those that may lead you to burnout.
- Morality Is Still Not the Point In a previous article, Dave Carl concluded that loving God is more important than living a moral life and must be the motive behind all our spiritual activities. In this “sequel,” he explores how to love God more—what it does and does not look like. Reading his simple yet profound suggestions, we can reflect on whether or not we’re on the right track in our relationship with God and whether or not we’re steering our kids down the path toward loving God more.
- Mother's Day Chuck Swindoll gives a warm tribute to mothers as he recognizes the huge, often thankless, jobs they have. This article encourages you to be grateful for your own mother’s sacrifices and to take the time to thank her.
- Mother's Indelible Impression
- My Life Is Not THE Story We get wrapped up in the circumstances of our own lives, and in our natural self-centeredness it’s hard to see any broader picture that goes beyond our own lives. David Carl encourages us to step outside of our own chapter and to look at the whole book—God’s timeless purposes that we can have a part in for all eternity.
- Preschoolers and Theology David Carl reminds us that opportunities to teach our children about a biblical worldview and eternal truths abound more than we realize. Many of the natural questions kids ask are a great springboard for us to teach theology—on their level, of course. Telling stories is a perfect avenue of instruction that leaves a lasting impression.
- Real Reality Living in our permissive culture, it’s sometimes hard for Christians to confront a person who is not honoring his or her marriage vows and who isn’t being faithful to his or her spouse. Chuck encourages pastors and all of us to take the risk and call sin, sin, regardless of the response we receive. Jesus was unafraid and uncompromising when confronting those caught up in sin, and we need to follow His example.
- Redeeming the Seasons of Life Instead of always looking ahead to the way we want things to be in the future or looking back to how things used to be, Wayne Stiles encourages us to live in the present and take hold of the opportunities given to us today. After all, that’s really all we have and the only place where we can have an impact.
- Root of Rebellion
- Shake It Up a Little
- Sincere Faith at Home
- Taking It Easy with Time and Touch Chuck reminds us that the window of opportunity in which a parent can truly influence a child and shape his or her character does not stay open forever. That’s why parents have to be willing to make the sacrifices necessary to prioritize meaningful time with their children during the years their children most need them. Nothing else in our schedules could possibly be as important!
- Taking Off the Gloves and Making Up All siblings fight and, sooner or later, all parents have to step in and referee. This article gives some practical advice and helpful steps to walk your children through the process of resolving their differences in the way that Jesus instructs us. Once they learn the process of confession, forgiveness, and choosing to move on from their petty childhood issues, they’ll be groomed for using the same method when they get older and the offenses involved take on greater magnitude.
- Teenagers Can Be Terrific Teachers
- The Dangers of Growing More Like Christ David Carl suggests that there are a lot of “spiritual” activities that might make you think you’re growing closer to God and becoming like Him but, in reality, they may be hindering you from reaching the goal of true spirituality. Read this article to find out just what he means and what that true goal is.
- The Eternal I AM
- The Greatest Influence This short article has a simple message, but it’s an encouraging one for weary mothers who need to be reminded of their unique and powerful ability to shape their children’s lives. No other individual will have as much bearing on who a child becomes or on how he or she will see the world.
- The Heartbeat of the Home
- The Night After Christmas In a humorous spin of the well-known “’Twas the Night Before Christmas” poem, Wayne Stiles reminds us of the true meaning of Christmas by lamenting what it has become for so many, in spite of our best intentions. Chuckle as you read his poem, and recognize the guilt most of us feel for getting carried away with the wrong priorities.
- The Plan in a Child's Heart
- The Reckless Phony Anyone who is overly concerned about his or her image or reputation is in danger of exchanging genuineness for phoniness in order to protect that image. Chuck uses the example of King Rehoboam’s life—as well as the legacy left to him through the compromises made by his father and grandfather—to caution us against hiding our sin and growing comfortable with it. We must instead conquer our sin and not let it separate us from God.
- The Surprise of Victory in Christ David Carl explains how the self-reliance and individualism that bodes well for worldly success doesn’t translate well into the Christian’s walk with God. Jesus Himself made His dependence on His Father and on His disciples very clear. To follow His example, we must learn how to be vulnerable and transparent with other believers and realize how much we can learn from one another that we could never learn on our own.
- Things I’ve Learned from Raising Kids
- Things My Mother Taught Me
- Three Tips for Your Family
- Time for Parenting This article deals with an issue all parents have to contend with: How do I find meaningful time with my children, and how much of it do I need? Michael Svigel gives some practical guidelines to answer these questions, and he also reminds us that finding this exclusive time together is just not optional if we want to stay in touch with our kids as they grow older.
- Tips for Teaching Kids Truth This article contains priceless words of wisdom and practical ideas for how to raise godly children through tapping in to their unique gifts and making full use of their natural curiosity. Parents are encouraged to be real and to let their child learn from their own failures and questions as well as from their words of instruction to them. Everyday events—such as singing songs, telling stories, and serving the less fortunate—can build a child’s worldview and model true spirituality.
- Use Your Imagination! A good storyteller knows how to put a reader into the story by making him or her feel what the characters are experiencing. That’s what David Carl encourages parents to do whenever they tell Bible stories to their children. Using two Bible stories as examples, he raises questions to help the hearer of the story wonder what it would be like to be there, thus making the Bible even more exciting to read!
- What Do You Look For?
- What Is a Christian Family?
- What Should I Say to Hurting People?
- When the Bible Sinks In Using a humorous story about his own son, Michael Svigel gives reassurance that every parent needs to hear—that God is the one responsible for making the spiritual lessons you teach your children take root in their hearts. Parents must wait patiently for the signs that their instruction is getting through, because God’s methods and timing are different for everyone, whether he or she is a child or an adult.
- Wooing the Wayward: Loving Your Prodigal until He or She Comes Home