Shannon

“I Was Spanked and I Turned Out Fine.”

I hear this from many people and for those who it’s true, I’m glad to hear that. Really, I am. Young people can experience hardship, trauma, or even abuse, and overcome it. They persevere, heal wounds, and go on to be amazing adults. I know a few. But, that does not mean this is theContinue reading ““I Was Spanked and I Turned Out Fine.””

“I Have to Spank my Toddler to Teach Her Not to Run Into the Street.”

No you don’t. A young child cannot be held accountable for their own safety. It is an unreasonable assumption to expect a child to choose to avoid danger or to reliably comply with verbal instructions when safety is on the line. For instance, if a young child were to be struck by a car, theContinue reading ““I Have to Spank my Toddler to Teach Her Not to Run Into the Street.””

Grace Colored Glasses

Undeserved grace invites lasting heart change. When your child exhibits undesirable behavior, instead of spewing out blame and shame, try viewing the situation through a lens of grace. Pause and choose to look for the most positive, perhaps even generous, explanation of your child’s behavior to avoid making parenting choices based in the worst-case scenario.Continue reading “Grace Colored Glasses”

Rehoboam: The Foolish Son of Solomon.

According to popular Christian parenting, one would think Solomon “wrote the book” on Biblical discipline. Some Christian parents act like Proverbs (written mostly by Solomon) provides a God-ordained parenting method that will lead our young children to heart change. Surely when Solomon used the rod of discipline to drive out foolishness (Prov 22:15) from theContinue reading “Rehoboam: The Foolish Son of Solomon.”

8 Great Smarts by Dr. Kathy Koch

Borrow 👍 When you were younger, did you ever use the word “smart” to describe yourself? In a public school system that only valued two of the eight intelligences, it was challenging for many of us to believe we were smart. Dr. Kathy highlights that you were good at theater because you are smart, youContinue reading “8 Great Smarts by Dr. Kathy Koch”

Discipline that Connects with Your Child’s Heart by Jim & Lynne Jackson

Buy ✅ When we truly bring God’s grace to the forefront of our discipline, we implement discipline that is effective in discipleship. Correction becomes a wonderful opportunity to reinforce our efforts to help children to know, love, and follow Jesus. The overall message of Discipline that Connects with Your Child’s Heart is certain to helpContinue reading “Discipline that Connects with Your Child’s Heart by Jim & Lynne Jackson”

“Happy to Help!”

When respectful communication doesn’t get cooperation, say this: “Would you like to do it by yourself, or would you like my help?” … “Sure! I’m happy to help.” Let’s pretend you have at least 2 children. Your youngest is struggling to unscrew the new cap on the toothpaste tube, and he asks Big Brother, “WillContinue reading ““Happy to Help!””

A Matter of the Heart

“Jesus brought grace & mercy as His methods and message for a reason” L.R. Knost. We long for our children to accept the saving faith of Jesus Christ. In our attempts to stack the odds we put a lot of effort into sowing seeds of God’s Word, like those Jesus talked about in the ParableContinue reading “A Matter of the Heart”

The 4 Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson

Borrow 👍 Or buy ✅ if you need help creating a sustainable homeschooling plan that is unhurried and developmentally appropriate. I mean, haven’t we all wondered just how long our child should sit at the desk practicing math and language arts skills?? This “mercifully short book” is for the busy homeschool mom, and it addressesContinue reading “The 4 Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson”

Part 2: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child

The Book of Proverbs is not divine commands to obey, nor promises to claim. Those who claim spanking is Biblical are in fact going outside the concrete (or specific) words in Scripture by making a number of changes; age limits, severity, location, and instrument, to name a few. These positive changes represent growth in theContinue reading “Part 2: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child”

Part 1: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.

This is a quote from an erotic poem entitled, “Hudibras” and written by Samuel Butler in 1663. “Spare the rod, spoil the child’ is not a verse in the Bible. Let us commit to studying scripture so we can better identify half-truths such as this. I call this a half truth because there are versesContinue reading “Part 1: Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child.”

Feelings: Don’t fight them. Don’t feed them.

Feelings are neither good nor bad. They just are. We know we shouldn’t suppress and stuff our feelings down, but how do we do that without getting stuck in them? So glad you asked: Practice to observe and describe what you are feeling. When you first have a feeling that catches your attention, a flickerContinue reading “Feelings: Don’t fight them. Don’t feed them.”