Fatherhood

A Christian’s Parrot
There's an old saying that it takes a real Christian to leave his parrot with the town gossip. A test of real virtue is what we do when no one's looking. And evidence of our true self is left behind in the places no one is expected to go. I read that Tim Tebow decided to get rid…
A New Tradition for New Year’s
When we think about New Year's, what comes to mind? Glitzy parties, fireworks, watching the ball drop, Auld Lang Syne, or perhaps if you love classical music, the Vienna Philharmonic playing The Redetsky March. Oh, and resolutions. I always liked the idea of starting new when I was younger, but I had an appallingly bad record…
Is Destruction in Their Wake Normal?
A reader asked: As a mother of 4 young boys, (oldest is 10), we have a lot of furniture, walls, toys, etc destroyed in their wake. Is this normal for boys??? I feel like I can't have anything nice around. Dear Friend, I feel your pain! The frustrating part about raising girls is that they…
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…
Reformation Day: A Celebration of Heroism for Over 450 Years!
Are you as surprised as we were to find out that Reformation Day has been celebrated as a holiday in the church since at least 1567? We were delighted to find out that rather than sanitizing a holiday that celebrated death, our enemy, we could enjoy a holiday to remember true heroism — a man…
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…
Bring Back Work Week: The Pleasure of Accomplishment
A few weeks ago, our son Matt came in and said, "Mom, you know it makes a guy feel good to take responsibility - to meet a need, to do something that matters. I had no idea how much fun it could be to be the one to take care of something." I think there…
An Open Letter to Parents Considering Divorce
Here's a letter I posted in response to a homeschooling mother who told an email list that she was thinking of divorcing her husband because she didn't love him anymore and they were not getting along at all. I hope if you are thinking of divorcing your mate, that you will read this very carefully…
A Couple of Thoughts After Father’s Day
Homeschool conventions are pretty heavily loaded with (1) Visionary Things and (2) Nuts and Bolts Things. We do some of each, though we try to put lots of practical help in the visionary presentations and make sure the practical sessions are based on the Word. But convention organizers are always looking around for some sessions that are a little…
What Happens When the Chef is Eleven Years Old…
That sounds like the start to a funny, or maybe even disgusting story, doesn't it? And we've seen a few of those, too. I don't think anyone will ever forget the Skittles in the rollups for lunch. They were, uh, memorable. Last night, though, was memorable in another way... "Mom, can I make quiche for…