how to be a father

A Good Thing
When we were working on our workshop on purity for boys, we were surprised at some of the research we found that says that the average age of first (and hopefully only!) marriage has gone up drastically in the last generation. For men, the median age has gone up from 22 or 23 to 28…
Something’s Changed!
"I just don't understand! My sweet son is so temperamental lately." "It's like he's a different kid." "I don't understand the anger. What's that about?" "School used to be fun, but now it takes forever." "He acts so addled. Can't remember what I tell him for one minute." We hear it all the time. We've said it ourselves. We…
For Better or For Worse
Marriage is supposed to last a lifetime, for better or for worse, but these days, when things get tough, people break up. The sad thing is that it's the innocent children who really suffer when parents don't get over their problems. I was reading today a very sweet story about a couple that divorced 48…
Dan Quayle, the Culture War, and the Bull Elephant in the Room
You know things are getting bad when even the Washington Post notices that the swirling motion in the culture probably has something to do with a toilet. In a recent editorial, Isabel Sawhill of the Brookings Institution admits that the much maligned attack Dan Quayle made years ago, that sitcom character Murphy Brown was a…
Who to Believe?
This morning I went into the hospital for a medical procedure. "Who will be driving you home?" Our 16 year old had brought me because they hadn't mentioned someone 18 or older would need to sign the discharge paperwork, so he'd headed home. "I don't know. My son went to trade with one of his…
Educating the Whole Hearted Child
God did not forget to include "school" in his biblical design for raising children—:home education is a natural expression of all that God intended for parents and their children. Clay and Sally Clarkson's Educating the WholeHearted Child is about rediscovering God's original design for the family. What you'll find in this book is a homeschooling…
How To Have a H.E.A.R.T. for Your Kids
When I hear about a parenting book, I want to know what kind of folks the authors really are. Well, we've known Rachael Carman for many years, have seen her in stress, have watched her with her children, have seen her with her husband, have worked together to promote homeschooling with her and have done…
For Instruction in Righteousness
Next up is one of our favorite resources from one of our favorite companies. We have used For Instruction in Righteousness since our adult children were young and we have seen our children's hearts changed time and time again by God's Word through this book. In our opinion, every family needs this book -- and…
A New Look at Sibling Relationships
This morning over breakfast we had a very enlightening discussion. We asked the question, "What purpose do you think God had in making you big brother to your little brothers and sisters? What do you think He wants you to accomplish in their lives?" [caption id="attachment_3812" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption=""Keep them safe.""][/caption] (more…)
Review: “Courageous”
Not many movies had me in tears in the opening sequence. "Courageous" did. I'm not an "early adopter" of whatever comes down the road--I think I didn't upgrade to Windows 95 until Windows 98 came out. Movies are a little different, and there may not be many days left in the theater schedule for this…