by Michelle Donaghey

Does your child enjoy cooking, playing his saxophone or drawing  characters? If so, work to encourage him or her to develop hidden talents!

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It’s often the case that kids are bored at home with nothing to do and mom can’t face another costly activity. There are lots of fun actitities that don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Children’s activities don’t have to cost much and they certainly don’t have to be boring.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a trip to the airport. You don’t actually have to go in the airport but you can park close by and spot the airplanes. Talk to your kids about where the airplanes may be going or how many people may be on board. Kids find airplanes fascinating. Read More

But I Don’t Know What to Say! In my childhood years, I don’t remember being touched by death. I don’t remember any classmates dieing or any of their parents dieing. Was I oblivious or were we just lucky? I guess I’ll never know the answer to that question. But I can walk through the halls of my children’s schools and see children from five different families whose fathers have died during their school years. When I take my daughter to cheerleading practice, we see a little girl whose mother recently died. And when we go to church, we see two girls whose father died a few years ago, and we see a mom whose ten-year-old son died last November. 

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

Positive peer pressure? How can peer pressure be positive? After all, it is peer pressure that often lures our children and teenagers into skipping classes, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, and becoming sexually active. True, but peer pressure can also encourage your kids to strive for better grades, try a new positive activity such as a sport or drama club, and say no to dangerous activities.

Positive versus negative peer pressure
You have probably used the power of positive peer pressure with your children many times in their lives without realizing it. I remember a lunch play date when my children were toddlers and one of them did not want to eat his banana. Positive peer pressure won the day: when I pointed out his friend enjoying a banana, my son began to chow down too.

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If anyone had told me a few years ago that I would be getting a cell phone for my 13-year-old son, I would have laughed. Back then, I didn’t even have a cell phone myself and I saw no reason for young teens to have them. But guess what? When we renewed our plan back in April, we added our son to it and got him his own phone. He’s not much of a phone person and doesn’t use it that much. But now, if I get in caught in traffic on the way to pick him up from school, I can let him know. When he goes somewhere with the youth at church, he can call when he is on his way back so neither of us have to cool our heels waiting in the parking lot. So really, the phone is for me as much as, if not more, than for Kegan.

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To Christians, Easter is much more than Easter bunnies and eggs: it is the most significant day in the year as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. While Jesus should always be the focal point of Easter, many of these more commercial elements of Easter can symbolize parts of the Easter story. While they may have had different meanings at other times in history, now they help us remember our new lives in Christ.

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

My husband tells a story about an ice cream social on his family’s farm when he was a boy. His family and some friends were sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather and eating delicious homemade ice cream – the kind made with an old-fashioned wooden churn that you had to crank for hours. It was high summer, but this was Bible belt Kansas and the conversation turned to God’s blessings. Everyone began sharing what he or she was thankful for, just like many of us do around the Thanksgiving table. The adults were all thankful for the big bowls of ice cream, the good weather for crops, jobs that paid well, healthy kids, and other big stuff. When it was little David’s turn, he said, “I’m thankful for the water!” The adults all got a good laugh at the little boy who was enjoying a bowl of homemade ice cream but was thankful for the glass of water he was drinking with it. But to David, that water made his enjoyment of the ice cream even greater by cleansing his mouth between bites.

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 by Stacey Schifferdecker 

Do you ever wonder why kids long so for breaks from school, when after only a day or so you start to hear those dreaded whiny words: “I’m bo-o-o-o-red!” Notwithstanding a neighborhood full of friends; a room full of toys, books, games, and puzzles; a backyard full of swing sets, basketball hoops, and trampolines—our kids get bored. And you know what? Let them. Let them get bored, and let them figure out how to deal with the boredom.

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

Christmas break has just ended and your children have gone back to school, probably moaning at least a little. But the last semester of school looms with numerous school holidays, including Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, spring break, Memorial Day, and of course parent-teacher conferences. In fact, there is not a single month between now and summer break when my children are not out of school at least one day. The kids may be delighted, but most parents find these breaks in the routine of daily life less fun. How can you survive school breaks with humor and grace?

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 by Stacey Schifferdecker 

I know from experience that it is tough to be shy and introverted in today’s world. People seem to place a lot of value on being outgoing and having a large circle of friends. There is nothing wrong with being introverted, and you need to make sure you accept your children’s personalities and don’t make them feel like there is something wrong with them. On the other hand, they do need to interact with other people and you can help them become more self-confident. Here are some parenting tips that may help.

Don’t label your children as shy

Do your children hang back at a birthday party instead of jumping in to join the fun? Some children just like to observe a situation for a while and will usually join the fun later. But if they hear you tell other people that they are shy, they often begin acting even more shy. The child seems to think, “Well, Mom said I’m shy, so that means I must really be shy.”

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 by Stacey Schifferdecker

Boo! Halloween is almost upon us. I know the trick-or-treaters at my house are busy thinking about what they want to be this year. Of course, their ideas change daily, so no costume-making is underway.

In addition to getting your kids ready to go trick-or-treating for Halloween, you need to make your home ready for all the little ones who will be knocking on your door. You don’t anyone to trip and fall or to catch their costume on fire.

Lighting
The universal signal for a house where trick-or-treaters are welcome is a simple porch light. No light – no kids. So be sure and flip your porch light on so the kids know you are ready and waiting.

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

All parents hope and pray their children will lead happy, carefree lives. Unfortunately, real life intervenes in the form of death, divorce, fires, hurricanes, tornados, and other disasters. Since we can’t always protect our children from trauma, how can we help them survive and, eventually, thrive?

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

All siblings fight—that’s just a fact of life. And sibling rivalry can have positive consequences when it teaches children how compromise, negotiate, and solve conflicts. But when sibling rivalry crosses the line and become bullying, as it does for 30% or children and adolescents, parents need to intervene.

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by Stacey Schifferdecker

Only a few more weeks until school starts, and the back-to-school sales have started. Follow these tips to keep more of your money in your wallet as your kids head back to school:

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