What Is The Greatest Gift We Can Give Our Children?

By Kevin (Shooting the Breeze)

The greatest gift we can give our children is ourselves or more specifically our time and our attention!  Sadly, too many parents think that as long as they give their kids everything they need and want materially that their children will be satisfied.  The truth is that this does NOT work.  This may work temporarily BUT it will NOT work for the long haul.  Our children want us first and foremost.  They want our attention.  They want our time.  Here’s a general principle, whatever we pay attention to is going to grow. If I pay attention to my garden, it’s going to grow. If I pay attention to my kids, they’re going to grow. Here are two simple ways we can give our children our time and our attention:

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When I Fail... Again

By MAD21

The last few weeks have been a learning experience in our home. I'm not sure which one of us is being stretched more; my kids, who are adjusting to being students and classmates, running and being tired all the time (moods reflecting it); or myself. As a parent you dream of doing what's best for your kids, teaching them to make good choices, and love one another. You try your hardest to do and say the right things all day everyday, all the while keeping your cool when they make all the wrong choices. You are, of course, the biggest influence of who they will be when they grow up. No pressure at all.

I have been failing all over everywhere all week. It's been a real mess. The harder I try to do the right thing, the harder I fall when I don't live up to my own expectations (there's a hint for ya). The harder I push my kids, the harder they push back. It did finally get to the point when I just had to stop and say... SERIOUSLY? The peek of my week I'll call, "The day of POO," but I'll discuss that in a post another day.

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Enforcing Bedtimes Improves Kids' Health

By MAD21

CNN reports on the latest findings for studies done on the sleep patterns of children. Their outcomes are rather obvious and expected to me, but it's still interesting to read about their studies and the conclusions they came to. The experts stated:

"Setting bedtimes can improve sleep quality and quantity for infants and toddlers, according to a growing body of research. Not getting enough sleep affects children's behavior, memory, attention, and emotional well-being, experts said."

The article also lists the appropriate amount of sleep people should be getting based on their age. It's good to know so we at least have a baseline for how much sleep our kids should be getting. As with everything in life, it takes discipline to keep to a bedtime routine, both for the kids, and for the parents. I know I usually plan to go to bed at a certain time, but always find myself with "just one more thing to do."

The Bible's Definition Of A Good Education: Part 2 - Understanding

By Jason, M.Ed., M.A.R., Headmaster

“For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6, NKJV)

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Proverbs 9:10, NKJV)

Just a reminder before we begin: God calls parents to the responsibility of educating their children.  Whether you home school or send your children to a school outside your home, you are still responsible before God for how your children are being educated.  Each one of us who is called to be a parent is also called to be an educator.  This series of articles deals with “academic” things, but they are things relevant to every parent and everyone who ever hopes to be a parent-- or anyone who wants to learn anything faithfully.

In Part 1, we explored the first component of a Biblically faithful education: knowledge.  Knowledge must be the first step in learning anything. In order for us to develop understating and wisdom about a subject, we must first know it.  In order for me to understand the causes of the Civil War properly, I must first know that there was a Civil War and the major events leading up to it.  In order for me to understand the major themes and the flow of the argument of Romans, I must first know that the Book of Romans exists and I must know its basic content.  Understanding without knowledge will always be unsound and incomplete. 

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Don't Forget

By Alan

"Don't Forget..." - this phrase is often used, especially from parents to their kids so that they remember to do something, pick up something, don't do something, or remember some life lesson.  The proper response is:

- Okay, Mom, I will.

- Oh, Mom!

- How could I forget that?

We get annoyed that we can't find our phone, that we forgot to take out the garbage, or to remember the homework due tomorrow.

But, what if you _couldn't_ forget?

What if everything was stuck forever in your head?  Good events are great to recall, but what if you remembered every minute after your grandmother died, or you couldn't forget the sadness after missing old friends, or taste of bad food.

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