Family Life

It Seems I’m Always Yelling
A reader with four boys 8 and under called for help: I feel like when I talk, no one hears me. So then I yell. My friends call me "The Drill Sergeant Mom". I am so frustrated. Wow, do we ever sympathize! One time, we had a friend -- a mother of several girls --…
Raising Kids Who’ll Eat Anything
One of our goals in raising our children was to help them learn not to be picky eaters. We'd both seen the extra work, turmoil, and frustration in a family when one of the children was picky, only to see those same children grow up to eat things they'd rejected at home. Hearing tales from missionary friends…
Crank Down the Anger
We finally noticed a pattern. When one of our children got somewhere between nine and fourteen, they'd climb on an emotional rollercoaster and invite us all to join them. Wow, what a tough age to parent! The first time we went through it, we questioned everything, "Is it us? Have we failed in parenting? Is…
Ten Ways to Get Boys to Do Chores
Folks, let me tell you this: It is a lot better to have pink underwear than no clean underwear at all. Get your guys doing chores! Here are some things that have helped us (and no, we don't do this perfectly - not remotely so!) Use manly marketing. If you say, "Sweetheart, could you make…
A Review: Character Badges
I was so excited to see that Caroline Allen's new Character Badges curriculum was a part of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle! I've heard Caroline talking about it and I've been wanting to take a look at it. (more…)
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…
“I Can’t Do Everything I’m Supposed to Do!”
A sweet mama came up to us in tears at last weekend's conference. She wailed, "I can't do everything I'm supposed to!" The question we wanted to ask her is "Who told you that you were supposed to do all that?" Yeah, it's true. There's a lot you really are supposed to be doing -…
Q: What Can I Do When We’re Always In The Car?
We have a large family, and the dynamic is so very different. It seems like we're spending most of the time getting the kids to their various activities and not a lot of coming together any more, aside from meals.  We have been through this at different times ourselves, and frankly, it doesn't take a…
Making Biblical Family Life Practical – Is There Such A Thing BIBLICALLY As Men’s Work, Women’s Work?
Tonight, on Making Biblical Family Life Practical, we're discussing work! Is There Such A Thing BIBLICALLY As Men's Work, Women's Work? Is our view of what we should do colored more by the Bible or the 1950s? What can each member of the family do to keep the wheels turning (or the laundry washing)? Tune in…
Boys and Valentine’s Day
Moms tend to be big fans of Valentine's Day. We love relationship stuff, chocolate, hearts, and flowers. Boys? Not so much. Chocolate is good, but the rest is kind of gooshy. So what do we do about Valentine's Day in a houseful of boys? If you've been around here for awhile, you know we love…

On Christmas Break, but Check the Sale! Dismiss