My kids love their screens: tablets, phones, and game systems. I don't mind them being on their technology devices, especially in the summer, but I do have some screen rules, including limits. What kind of screen time limits do you have at your home? They don't like when I implement any screen time limits, but they are usually on board when I have a plan and good reasoning skills. Thankfully, both of my kids do like to do other things besides screen time, including play, crafts, cooking, … [Read more...]
Kids Bored at Church? Here’s What You Can Do
With children's attention spans often not being long enough to get them through an entire church service without becoming bored, parents can often find themselves struggling with spiritually appropriate ways to keep them entertained. Parents can relax knowing there are activities they can provide for their toddlers, preschoolers and school age children that can make the service interesting and also help the children learn a scriptural message. If your kids are bored at church, here are a few … [Read more...]
Bonding with Your Tween
Today, the word “tween” refers to kids who are not “little” kids anymore, and are not quite teenagers. These are kids between the ages of 9-12. It is often hard to connect with this age because they are showing their independence more and more each day. It is, however, vital that parents make the effort to bond with their tween and that especially applies to dads. Dads, if you have a tween, here are some great tips for bonding with your tween child. Four Ways to Bond with Your Tween Talk … [Read more...]
Fun Rainy Day Activities
Rainy days can be a complete bummer. They can also be a great way for a family to slow down in this fast-paced life and enjoy some quality time with each other. Life gets so hectic for the whole family. It is nice to have rainy day to slow everyone down. Baking, creating greeting cards, puppet show creation, car track, and board games are five fun rainy day activities the whole family would love. Five Fun Rainy Day Activities Baking Baking is an old tried and true way to enjoy a rainy … [Read more...]
Parenting Tweens is Hard! Here are things to remember.
It's truly an amazing thing. One day, out of nowhere, the sweet cuddly, cooing, toddling, talking wonder wakes up: you look at this precious cherub in amazement, where did you baby go and who replaced it with this out of control, defiant, bundle of emotions? Congratulations, you have entered into the journey of the "tween" years. Parenting Tweens Early adolescence, if you choose to recall your own, is a time of changes: physical, emotional and social. Hormones are raging inside those … [Read more...]
What is a Tween and What to Expect
What is a Tween? A tween is short for tweenager and is generally between the ages of 9-12. I have an 8 year old and 12 year old in the house and can very much relate to the difficulties and positives. The "tween" years are between childhood and the teen years. It is all about adolescence. Here are some tips to help you identify the tween in your child. What to Expect in the Tween Years The body and mind of a tween are in total chaos as your child starts the transformation toward … [Read more...]
Raising a Strong Daughter in a Toxic Culture
Raising a strong daughter is more difficult than ever for parents. Our culture bombards young women with smartphone addiction, unhealthy role models, unobtainable body images, toxic rather than healthy feminism, and even calls into question gender itself. So what's a parent to do? I have a 12 year old daughter now, and I am scared. Honestly. This is such a hard time to grow up in. I don't want to be adding to the problems, but I want to help her. And I want practical ways to do that. I … [Read more...]