Manage Your Time

How we manage time as parents will be absorbed by our kids. Involve your older kids in the discussion about whom you will spend your time with and where that time will be spent. Discuss the importance of not overdoing anything and trying to have balance. Remind them it’s okay to sit quietly and read or sit quietly and create or meditate. Meditating on God’s Word has become a lost art in our modern world. “Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:17 NLT

Open Your Heart

Having a big heart toward others is a valuable behavior for our children to see modeled because it shows

I was running late to catch a plane from Detroit to my home in California and when I'm in a hurry I get tunnel vision and in this case my tunnel vision was to the departures terminal.

When I get tunnel vision I tend to overlook, miss or otherwise not notice what's going on around me. While hurrying across the bridge from then rental car shuttle drop to the departure area something out of the ordinary caught my attention. It was two people dancing.

I stopped and moved closer to the window and right there on the freezing curb there were three people standing next to a taxi. Two dancing and one watching. It wasn’t break, disco, or ballroom. Just your standard run of the mill dancing. To my knowledge there wasn’t any music, they were making their own.

After a closer look I realized it was a father dancing with

Remember our verse from part 1? Proverbs 27:12 says: “A prudent person foresees the danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

Or, “A prudent parent foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton parent goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” As parents, we need to see the dangers ahead, and we must take precautions.

What can you do to protect your child online? Here is part 2, numbers 6-10.

6. Teach your child to never give out personal information.

Free! That’s the word. It’s captivating. It’s intriguing; and it’s free! Usually, sites that are trying to get information start by asking a simple question. Maybe it’s your first name, your age, or the last grade you completed in school. This may be followed up by a few more seemingly innocuous questions, like the name of a favorite animal or the name of a pet.

Continue to remind your children

Proverbs 27:12 says: “A prudent person foresees the danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.”

I have started reading this verse a new way, “A prudent parent foresees the danger ahead and takes precautions. The simpleton parent goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.” As parents, we need to see the dangers ahead, and we must take precautions.

What can you do to protect your child online? Here are numbers 1-5 out of 10.

1. Use Internet filtering software on your computers.

Your kids may not be looking for inappropriate content, but if they spend enough time on the computer, it will come looking for them. An ad or pop-up alert may get their attention, and before you know it, they are off and running. A simple Google search for a project they are researching for school may return a successful search for what they are looking for, but occasionally it will also include undesirable sites.

Internet filtering software or content control software can

Accessibility is the new normal.
With one device we can order Pizza, watch Pornography and Meet New People we know nothing about. Take a look at these statistics from an article entitled “Online Safety For Kids” at FindLaw.com.

• 71% of teens 13-17 say they received messages online from someone they did not know.
• 40% of those receiving messages said they usually reply and chat back.
• 30% of teens 13-17 have considered meeting someone they have only talked to online.
• 14% have actually had an encounter with someone they met online.

When I was growing up the best advice was don’t ever take candy from strangers and never get in their van, yet our kids have the opportunity to get into a digital van every waking minute of every day. If we

Routines are those planned, recurring activities and habits that add health and value to your family on a regular basis. What follows is a list of five simple routine ideas to try with your family. Find the one that works best for you or start with number one and work your way down to see which routine fits your family best.

1. Playing Together

The family that plays together stays together! We like having fun as a family. Most everything we do turns into a game. I don’t know if it’s everyone’s competitive nature in our family or that we just like to play; either way, we find ourselves playing. You don’t necessarily have to play board games. I know that board games are spelled “bored” games for some families. What I am suggesting is that you get together––inside

How would you finish the letter in the above picture? Wait, before we get to that let’s back up for a moment.

Are you familiar with the story of Mary and Martha? If not, take a look at Luke 10:38-42, I’ll wait.

Ok, now that you are back what do you think? If you are like most people you agree with Mary and disagree with Martha. We draw conclusions about Martha’s relentless hurry while Jesus was sitting in her living room. But there is something about Martha’s behavior that connects with me as both a leader and a parent.

I identify with her personality and driven spirit because it’s not my nature to sit and listen and totally unplug. I admire Martha’s personality and her ability to get things done. Then I had an idea...what would it look like if the story was changed just a bit and instead of Jesus sitting in the living room it was their kids.

What would it look like if I, if each of us, parented