how to be a mother

Titus 2 Lessons from a Friend’s Funeral
Last week, one of my friends lost her battle with cancer and went home to be with the Lord. Monday afternoon, while I was sitting at her funeral, the Lord gripped my heart hard. My friend Cathy was a true Titus 2 woman. You couldn't know Cathy without knowing she was a Christian. She loves…
It’s a Shame…
We've all seen them: the viral videos of parents smashing their kids' computers or sharing their stupid mistakes. Some of them are pretty funny and most of us have been tempted to do something outrageous some time or another, but is this really a good idea? Public shame has been a form of punishment throughout…
For Our Future Daughters in Law
I was floating in the lake in my "mama suit" with my hair going every which way when one of my sons looked over at me and said, "Mom, you're beautiful!" A few months ago, I might have answered, "Oh, please! I look awful!" but I've learned better since then. A few months ago I read…
Q: My Son Blames Everyone But Himself …
The message started, "[I] desperately need advice ..." ... My almost six year old always blames me or someone else for his behavior. We are very big on teaching our children accountability. It can be small and big things. Yesterday, I told him he had to put on a coat to go outside. He preceded…
What’s Your Son Got to Say Tonight?
Recently we asked our Facebook page what people wanted us to write about. Several asked "How can mothers have a good relationship with their sons?" Our friends Marilyn and Rick Boyer helped us a lot with this topic in the articles they called Learning to Delight in Your Children. It helped us to clarify something we've…
Grand Theft Auto V and Hoods In Training
The headlines have been everywhere this week. Grand Theft Auto V is out and, to listen to social media, everyone is super-excited. Well, not everyone, but it sold $800 million dollars worth the very first day! And it has over 4.3 million fans on Facebook. We were thinking about this today when we read the…
Announcing Our New Radio Show – and an iPad Mini Giveaway!
We are thrilled to announce that we'll be hosting an hourlong weekly streaming radio show on the new Ultimate Radio Network! Our new show, Making Biblical Family Life Practical, will be the Hal & Melanie you guys know and love -- there will be lots of back and forth and humor, but also pointed, principled…
Miley Cyrus, MTV, and Why It Matters (A Lot) to Christian Families
For a couple of days, our personal Facebook feeds have been full of outraged posts and links about Miley Cyrus's reportedly (we didn't watch it) disgusting performance on MTV's VMA Awards. It was curious that the almost universal response among our friends was either shock (What in the world has happened to our world?) or…
Pushing Mama Up a Mountain
I was so excited about taking our children to Yellowstone National Park. I'd been there with my family as a child and some of the happiest memories of my father, who's been in heaven many years are centered around that area. Unfortunately, I tore a ligament in my knee on one of our conference trips…
A Mother’s Prayer by Kristyn Getty
Keith & Kristyn Getty are some of our favorite modern songwriters. Right up there with our son, Matt Henry Young (BTW, if you haven't listened to this song of his, you need to!). :-) They write songs of praise that aren't merely choruses or full of mindless repetition, but instead are full of faith-building truth just…