All Articles for Parenting

Spiritual development

Godly legacy

Born on Valentine’s Day With a Broken...

Stephen and Jill Kendrick's story of adopting Mia

Five Essentials to Leaving a Legacy that Wil...

Learn how to leave your children a heritage, not just an inheritance.

An Orphan’s Plea

What happened when a 15-year-old boy appeared in a Florida church, asking for a family.

3 Gifts Every Dad Should Give His Kids

A father's positive presence and parental participation are huge factors in raising children who love the Lord.

Their Greatest Legacy Is 60 Years of Marriag...

My parents’ commitment is a source of strength for their children and grandchildren.

She Had Nobody

When Laura and Steve Byers traveled 5,000 miles to Ukraine, they didn’t know the name of the little girl they would adopt. They had no idea what she would look like, or how old she would be. And they couldn’t comprehend how much she would change their lives. “How will we know it’s her?” Laura […]

Should You Provide a Financial Bailout for Y...

Before you rush to fix your child's problem, ask yourself whether you are truly helping him or her.

6 Lessons From My First 8 Months as a Dad

I felt under-prepared for my new role as a father, but I’m learning quickly

My First Daddy-Daughter Date

The idea of taking my 4-year-old daughter on a date had never crossed my mind. It didn't occur to me that I should treat her any different from her brothers.

Give Yourself a Time Out

I can't remember the last time I've been the only one at home and really experienced silence.

Determining Your Core Values

A worksheet to help you determine what you believe in.

“Don’t Sin, Dad”

It's time to start considering how the sin we tolerate in our lives is impacting future generations.

Preparing for a Successful Blend

Two tips for beginning a new marriage and a new stepfamily.

Going Back to Church

One of the hardest things I've done as a single parent

Motherhood and Loverhood

A happy love life is good for your children.

The Power of a Lasting Marriage

"I am grateful for proof that two people can love each other for an entire lifetime."

30 Tips for Raising Middle Schoolers

Quick advice regarding various areas of your child’s life.

Hey Mom, Who Says Things Have to Be Done the...

Make it a priority to teach your children to do things for themselves and others, even if it means those things aren’t done perfectly.

Lies Moms Should Stop Believing

When it comes to motherhood, plenty of land mines exist that we risk stepping on.

Q&A: Do I Have to Give Up Golf?

For too many years, husbands have abused their God-given role by eliminating the concept of servanthood from leadership.

The Death of My Unborn Child

The pain was indescribable, but somehow I found peace.

Q&A: Should Children See Parents Argue?

Kids learn how to resolve conflict by watching us do it.

Q&A: Teaching Children How to Resolve Co...

Three suggestions for modeling conflict resolution to your kids.

Questions Your Preteen Daughter Is Asking Ab...

Relationship secrets for girls entering adolescence.

Q&A: The Persistent Child

Dealing with a child who makes the same request over and over again.

Q&A: The Balancing Act

How do you relieve the pressures you feel as a family?

Q&A: The Overbooked Family

How can we slow down this crazy pace of life?

Q&A: The First Kiss

I've heard some Christians lately urging their children to save their first kiss for a wedding kiss.

Q&A: What to Do About Children Expressin...

Our assignment as parents is to tenderize the child’s conscience to the Holy Spirit and to the law of God.

Q&A: Financial Planning, Kid Style

What are some ways to teach my children about money?

Teaching Your Child How to Manage Busyness

Getting a grip on schedules and activities is a gift that will never lose its value.

teaching-your-teen-about-gods-views-on-sex

Teaching Your Child About Gods Views on Sex

God created sex, and your children need to know His purpose for it.

Teaching Your Teen How to Properly Express A...

When your child is angry you can help him understand what hurt him and work through that issue.

The Man Who Waited

It’s not easy to wait until marriage to begin having sex. But Tee Uzoigwe was determined to wait for God’s best.

Teaching Teens About Managing Anger

When your child is angry you can help him understand what hurt him and work through that issue.

Are You an Approachable Dad?

Two qualities you must develop if you want your children to turn to you.

Friend or Mom

What are you going to do with the influence you have in your daughter’s life?

Shaping Your Child’s Convictions About...

Dating can be a trap for teens.

Sex Is Not the Problem

If we had only 30 minutes to talk with you, here's the advice we would pass on.

Setting Boundaries for Your Teens

Helping your children learn to live within limits.

Setting Standards for Your Family About Subs...

Form convictions that you can hold with integrity as you shape the life of your child.

Raising Responsible Kids

Help your children take responsibility for their actions.

Navigating the College Maze

Editor’s Note: John Bryson and Robert Lewis are co-creators of College Ready™, an innovative video-guided experience for high school juniors and seniors. John and Robert were interviewed on FamilyLife Today by radio host Dennis Rainey, and his co-host, Bob Lepine. The following was adapted from this interview: Robert: College is one of life’s most defining moments. It […]

Replace Whining With Gratitude in Your Child...

Combing the day for things you’re thankful for can replace your old way of seeing the world.

How I Learned About the Value of Consequence...

My father loved me enough to let me feel the full extent of my actions.

Potty Training a Strong-Willed Child

You must set the rules and the boundaries, not your toddler.

Where Conflicts Come From

Recognizing the roots in sin can head off disputes before they start.

Mamas Hands

Remembering special moments while walking through the mall with my mother.

Messy-House Ministry

By inviting a friend into my messy home, I gave her a way to connect with me on a real level. I extended her an invitation into my heart.

Mothers of Courage

The protection of our lives and the lives of our children is best left in God’s hands.

Listening To the Wrong Voices

God has good reasons for wanting us to wait until marriage for sex.

Introduction to Fatherhood

I've been told that the most emotionally stressful event in a man's life is the birth of his first child.

Is Abstinence the Goal?

Helping your child maintain innocence in a world obsessed with sex.

Let Them Come Home

When I was 19, I decided I’d be honest and stop saying I was a Christian.

What I Learned About God From My Children

God uses our children to help us learn to walk in the Spirit and build our character.

Love and Leadership for the All Pro Dad

Great organizations and great families are fueled by loving leaders.

When to Say NO as a Mom

You can’t do everything. Here are nine strategies to help you set some boundaries.

Losing a Child at 35 Weeks in the Womb

Our daughter is in heaven, but we here on earth have have an incredible opportunity.

What Everybody Craves

A sample devotional from FamilyLife’s newly revised Passport2Purity®.

Coping With Guilt as a Single Parent

If you let guilt over divorce cripple you, it can keep you from giving your children the love they need.

‘How Far Is Too Far?’ Is the Wro...

The choice between sexual purity and sexual experimentation is an key battle for Christian youth today. This deadly trap snares millions of teens.

How I Got Serious About Laughter

My second daughter reminded me that laughter should be an important ingredient in our family.

How Did I End Up Being a Working Mom

We did not have a definite plan to transform desires into reality.

Hooked: The Bonding Power of Sex

Why parents need to help their children navigate the sexually-charged adolescent years.

How Can the Single Mom Do It?

From watching my single mother as I was growing up, and from watching many women in that situation, here are four essentials to succeed as a single mom.

Q&A: Babysitter Blues

How can we break our 3-year-old of throwing tantrums when the sitter comes over?

How Do I Teach My Kids to Handle Peer Pressu...

Dennis and Barbara Rainey, parenting, ages and stages, teens

Harmless Flirting or Sexual Foreplay?

What might seem like just a sweet little encounter could be giving the guy a mixed message. And it could lead you to more sexual intimacy than you imagined.

Giving Your Children Roots and Wings

Providing the foundation children need.

Grocery Stores, Little Bandits, and Toy Cart...

A mother reflects on the days when her daughter was young.

Honey, We’re Going to Move

I was at a crossroad. Would I stand in the Lord's way and deny my husband this opportunity because I was afraid?

From the Valley to the Mountaintop

The birth of our twin granddaughters reminds me of the lessons God teaches us in the joys and the hardships of life.

God Is Not Threatened by My Heartbreak

When I trusted God enough to call out to Him, I learned that He wanted to share in my grief.

Guiding Your Teen Through the Dating Game

We suggest four convictions that all parents should consider and uphold.

Helping Your Children Win at Purity

The battle for a child’s purity is real, and as parents it’s our task to set them up for success.

4 Countercultural Tips on Dating

Few things occupy the hearts and minds of modern young people more than dating relationships. Having a boyfriend or girlfriend strokes a lot of core needs. First, it strokes the need for significance. You can almost hear the cry for validation when you hear a teenage person say, “You’ll never guess who I dated this summer …” You feel […]

Freedom: The Teen Addiction

Learn why freedom is so important to teens and how to help them channel that freedom without causing a revolution.

Helping Your Child Resist Peer Pressure

In order to teach our children, we parents must embrace three core convictions.

Helping Your Child Set Wise Standards on Sub...

There are three critical tasks that parents must personally embrace before helping their children.

Forgiveness Is a Gift of Love

A champion gymnast learns that healing for her troubled relationship with her father takes more than hard work and determination. An excerpt from a new book, Growing Together in Forgiveness.

The Choices Fathers Make

Good parenting is often the difference in choosing between self-sacrifice and self.

The Intentional Mom

Being purposeful doesn’t mean taking everything super seriously, it just means thinking about things we may not otherwise think about in the busyness of life.

The Gumnazo Principle Child Discipline Is a...

Helping your child practice the right thing to do is just as important as identifying the wrong thing to do.

The Dangers of Pornography

Stop the spread of slime in your home.

The New Dating Culture

Though it encourages socializing in groups, it also leads to casual sex among friends

The Power of a Parent

By building your child's character, you can help shape the future.

The Stuff Dreams Are Broken Over

Many girlhood Cinderella dreams are being dashed by teen pregnancy

The Noblest of Callings

Contrary to what the culture might say, being a full-time mother is not settling for second best

Where Did the Time Go

Don’t waste the time you have with your children.

The Treasures of a Child

One parent's trash is another child's treasure

Wading Through the Baby Advice

Three lessons I learned on how not to be prepared for mommyhood.

What I’ve Learned From My Kids

A collection of lessons from parents who have been through the battle.

25 Ways to Address Sibling Rivalry

It's been around as long as there have been children, but what do you do when they're your children?

Three Cheers for the Meanest Mom

The courageous choice of one mom gives us confidence to also be strong with our teens.

Which Way Is Your Deck Chair Facing

Many Christians have not taken a strong look at what they believe in.

Who is Watching You

Even if you don't intend to leave a legacy, you will.

What Will Matter 25 Years From Now?

I’m a Type-A person, and helping my girls make a dollhouse was not on my agenda for the day.

Three Powerful Dynamics of a Mission Minded...

God will help you focus your family toward making a strong impact for His kingdom.

Warning: Tween With an Attitude!

God used this volatile time in my daughter's life to teach me a lesson, too.

’13 Reasons Why’ and the Tragedy...

4 Reasonable Concerns About ‘13 Reasons Wh...

Observations about the Netflix series from a junior high teacher.

Do You Know What Your Kids Are Up To?

Your kids need you to hold them accountable in the area of dating.

The Tidal Wave of Media and Todays Teens

Since we live in a media-driven world, how can we stay on top of the media?

Q&A: Teaching Children to Apologize

We need to realize that we are not just asking for an apology, but we are also training their consciences.

Fear Not Mother Fear God

Being a mother requires faith, not fear.

Q&A: Expression vs Insolence

Driving Privileges and Your Teen

Four lessons from a mom and dad who have been there.

Does Good Parenting Guarantee Good Kids?

There are no foolproof methods of parenting, because there are no perfect parents.

Don’t Let Suffering Break Your Spirit

Healthy ways to deal with grief from the parent of a prodigal.

Q&A: Neutralizing Adolescent Anger

Distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate expressions of anger.

Ecclesiastical Encouragement for Exhausted M...

Six lessons from Solomon's writings.

What a Life, What a Legacy

A tribute to J.T. Walker, a man who was passionate about his God, his family, and his church.

What Does God Think About Children?

It's time for a heart-check about children in the Christian community. Do we truly have God's heart for children? Do we really believe children are a blessing?

We Thought Adoption Would Mess Up Our Family...

September 2006 Like many Christians I know, my wife, Erin, and I had discussed whether adoption is something we would ever do. We liked to think that we would. The topic never really came up more than a handful of times. Then some friends of ours who had adopted invited us to an “If You […]

Why Do Traditions Matter?

Traditions are a lot like heirlooms ... both probably have come to us through our families. Some you love; you can't imagine life without them. And some you're stuck with..

Teaching by Grace

How was I going to instruct my daughters about the importance of purity when I was so immoral as a teenager?

Dads Daughters and Dating

Part of our responsibility as parents is to help our daughter navigate appropriate relationships, especially dating relationships.

Where Are the Fathers

We face an unprecedented crisis in America today—the physical and emotional absence of fathers.

Counting My Blessings

The most important task had been missing from my to-do list.

Diagnosis: Mom Burnout

Yes, I was overcommitted and working my tail off for good, even great things. But why in the world was I doing this?

Q&A: Defeating Discouragement in Motherh...

We need to realize that emotions are a part of God’s image imbedded and imprinted within us.

The Incredible Privilege of Motherhood

To invest your time and best efforts into children and to watch them grow, develop, and excel is to be part of the creative majesty of life itself.

Q&A: Discipline for a Young Child

What’s the best approach to discipline with my young child? Barbara: When a child is a toddler, he or she is in what I call “the training 2s.” When children are 2-5 years old, I call this the “intense training” stage. During these early years, you will notice your children becoming more defiant and rebellious—more […]

Checking Your Child’s Convictions Abou...

Keep your ears and eyes open and in tune to what’s going on in your child’s life, and to all that he is exposed to. Keep the lines of communication open.

What Are Your Standards for Dating?

The do's and don'ts of going out with the opposite sex.

Protecting Your Teen From the Busyness Trap

Children must be taught that cutting others down in any way is repulsive because every person is made in the image of God.

Conquering Cut-Downs Between Your Children

Children must be taught that cutting others down in any way is repulsive because every person is made in the image of God.

When Prodigals Come Home

Whatever their story, prodigals need a safe haven.

You Can Do It Mom

Stay-at-home mothering doesn't have to be so hard, and you don't have to do it alone. There are resources all around you to help you be the kind of mom you want to be.

Doing What God Wants Me to Do

They thought their "baby days" were over, but they didn't know what the Lord would do next.

10 Ideas for Non-Digital Family Fun on Road...

Whether your family is taking a short trip to Grandma's house or a cross-country vacation in the family car, these interactive activities will help the time pass more quickly.

Family Vacations

What would happen if families went on trips together without all the electronic distractions?

Give Your Children You

When we give ourselves without reservation to our children, we draw them to us.

In Search of the Elusive Family Meal

Is dinnertime also family time in your home?

On the Road Again

Early on, we realized we needed to plan our time in the car as well as we planned the activities at our destinations.

Q&A: Making Memories With Your Children

Your family should be found guilty of having too much fun, rather than too little.

Going Beyond God Bless Charlie

It's never too early to begin praying for your children.

How to Pray Big for Your Child

Three characteristics of prayers God answers, and three characteristics to avoid.

Aggressive Girls and Clueless Boys

Increasingly, girls are aggressively pursuing boys—in high school, middle school, and even earlier—in numbers we never saw in the past.

He Was Tired of Acting Like a Wimp

Sometimes the most courageous thing a man can do is to simply open a door.

Q&A: A Fathers Presence

Being the father that our children need does not require perfection—it requires courage.

Q&A: Brotherly Love

How can you best create a loving relationship between brothers?

Advice to My Graduating Senior

The greatest commandments are to love God and love others, but what does this look like for a college student?

Sweet 16

A creative way to celebrate this milestone.

Fathers Fanning the Flames of Faith

Building a simple fire pit in the backyard was key in building up the spiritual condition of our children.

I’m Not Alone in Parenting

Listening to FamilyLife Today has given me the encouragement to persevere.

Dressed for Service Not Success

A few ideas on how parents can start cultivating an attitude of service in simple ways, by weaving threads of humility, consideration, and an "others-first" attitude into the fabric of everyday life.

Equipping Our Children With a Map for Life

In the battle for the hearts and minds of our children, we need to recognize that they need our intentional guidance in countering the deceptions of life.

Helping Your Children Understand Natural Dis...

Explaining natural disasters and help children work through the issues.

Parental Love and Acceptance

Parental love is the first love a child experiences and the first love he (she) understands.

Parenting Advice in a Pleasure Seeking World

How can Christian parents encourage their children to become followers of Jesus Christ?

Peace at Home

The second requirement of teaching children to be peacemakers is to help them understand the root cause of their conflicts.

Q&A: Who Leads the Family Devotions?

Dividing responsibilities between Dad and Mom.

Shaping Your Child’s Destiny

Helping children understand that significance is found in fulfilling God’s purpose for their lives.

Should Children Be Exposed to a Relatives Li...

What kind of exposure should my children have to a relative who is in an inappropriate or ungodly lifestyle?

Teaching Your Children to Study the Bible

What's a parent's number one need?

Considering Adoption in the Face of Infertil...

Encouragement for those who have doubts about adopting.

How to Develop a Bond with an Adopted Child

It begins with the process of attachment—the deep sense of belonging to each other.

Orphans … Who Cares?

If you spend much time studying God and His priorities and passions, you will learn why caring for orphans matters to Him.

Cody’s Lesson

When we got out of the car, I could tell I had picked a bad day to bring a little kid to the mall.

Don’t Let Your Kids Get Away With Lyin...

Lying, no matter how small, is a big deal. If our children are going to develop the discipline to always embrace the truth, it will be with our help.

Exposing Deceit in Your Teen

These steps will help you keep track of the truth.

Guiding Your Teen Away From the Deceit Trap

As we shape our children’s convictions we need to be careful to give them God’s perspective of lies, false appearances, and misrepresentations of the truth.

How Well Is Your Child Avoiding the Deceit T...

Here are some ways to test how well your child is handling the deceit trap.

Modeling a Commitment to Excellence for Your...

We need to model and teach a commitment to excellence.

Modeling Integrity to Your Child

A life of integrity is a life you can trust.

Q&A: Getting Kids to Do Their Chores

Using chores to teach responsibility.

Q&A: Helping Your Homesick Campers

This can be a time in your child’s life when she can begin to wean herself from her parents and begin to form her own identity.

Q&A: Lying and Deceitfulness in Teenager...

The child who is developing more complex thinking abilities now has a better set of tools to use in being deceitful.

Sleepover Dilemmas

Do your children know what you expect of them when they spend the night with a friend?

Teaching Your Child Excellence Through House...

Our children have approached their simple household chores with all the enthusiasm normally expressed for a root canal.

Teaching Your Children to Handle Money

You can use all sorts of methods to teach your children how to earn, save, invest, and spend wisely.

Values Are Your Most Important Parenting Too...

Your children are watching where you spend your time, money, and resources.

What I Hope to Accomplish as a Mom

Parenting isn’t just a manual task—it’s the shaping of a life.

How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

In a FamilyLife Today interview, Dennis Rainey and Bob Lepine say that all of us are called by God to leave something behind—to have an impact on the next generation.

Modeling Godly Expressions of Anger for Your...

We need to work at modeling appropriate expressions of anger.

Why We Need to Teach Our Children About Grat...

Gratitude is not natural; it must be nurtured.

How UCLA Coach John Wooden Learned About Bui...

The beloved coach was raised by a father who believed in building character.

Our Children Need Us

Our love will be the stabilizing power that I hope God will use to pull this child through these turbulent times.

Protecting Your Children From Sexual Predato...

Guidance for teaching your children to be sensitive to potential danger.

The Toddler Years

Toddlers make mothers feel like they have lost control of the family.

Calling Your Child to a Commitment to Excell...

Our children need to catch a vision for being an ambassador for Christ.

Can You Afford to Become a Stay-at-Home Mom

Some financial advice to help you re-orient your values and save money.

Carpool Queens and Sleepover Divas

Becoming involved in your child’s friendships can mean taking on some interesting roles.

Caught in a Tug of War

Parents often feel tired from fighting the influences of the culture, but let me encourage you to hang on.

Building Friendships With Your Young Childre...

Eight "foundation builders" to help parents as they seek to cultivate strong friendships with their young children.

Called to Adopt

A day full of frustrating challenges gave me a good laugh years later.

Bringing Home a New Sibling

Practical tips for relieving some of the natural rivalry between siblings and helping them to develop an appreciation for one another.

Broaching the Subject of Masturbation With Y...

Four observations to note and discuss.

An Unexpected Gift: Raising a Child With a L...

As we learned more about our son, it felt like we were unwrapping a precious gift. Each testing day brought new insights into how his amazing brain worked.

Before the Hormones Hit

Don't waste the incredible opportunity you have during the "golden years" to prepare your children for adolescence.

Age-Appropriate Chores for Children

What chores can children do at specific ages? The following chart gives some ideas of what is possible.

Are Children Boring?

In most cases I find boredom to be a function of attitude—a result of my own selfishness and lack of vision or initiative or creativity.

Becoming a Family of Purpose

These ideas won't cure every problem in your home, but they will help you refocus on kingdom purposes.

Answering the Call of Family Worship

Three steps that will help you spiritually invest in your family.

Adjustment Issues

A day full of frustrating challenges gave me a good laugh years later.

Are You Ready to Adopt?

Here are some issues to consider as you consider adding to your family through adoption.

Balancing Work and Family

Somewhere between the deadlines and the to-do list, I'd forgotten the most important ministry God had entrusted to me: my family.

Becoming a Real Father

Are you making memories with your children? Those moments may be the best times of their lives.

Avoiding the Stampede

Steering clear of peer pressure can keep your standards from being trampled.

Becoming a Cyber Savvy Parent

Your kids know all about the latest phone and internet technologies. So do pornographers. Donna Rice Hughes talks about the importance of protecting your children.

Be the Man, Gods Man

A special blessing to my sons and son-in-law.

A Biblical Approach to Manners

Manners were God's idea first.

A Great Patriarch

God allowed me to spend a few precious hours with a husband, father, and grandfather finishing the race strong and loving his family during his last hours on earth.

10 Ideas: Living the Gospel in Your Home

If the gospel is central to your life, it also must be central in your family.

A Treasure to Give Our Children

We can’t take the gospel for granted; instead we need to safeguard it and deliver it unaltered to the next generation.

A Conversation at Walmart Naming a Birth Mot...

Failure Reject Not Worthy to be a Mother

The story of one couple's journey from infertility to adoption.

10-Ideas-for-Building-Strong-Bodies-1040x326

10 Ideas for Building Strong Bodies and Home...

Exercise can help you feel better, and also provide a great way to connect with your kids and loved ones. I well remember some childhood games of touch football with Dad and my siblings—right in front of two big magnolia trees. And who could forget the family obstacle course that Jim and my sons once […]

10 Ideas Remembering Everyday Moments

Practical suggestions to help you remember what shapes your family’s life and legacy.

10 Ideas Summertime Picnics

Enjoy a break from the hectic pace of life.

‘You Are Not My Coach’

Sometimes we learn great things about life from our kids. In this case, I learned the hard way about not exasperating my son.

A Full Drawer of Imagination

Suggestions for fostering creativity in your children.

A Tired Angry Mom

Just because God promises us that all things work together for our good doesn’t mean all things are easy.

A Story of Two Prodigals

Loving wayward children even when you don't approve of their behavior.

22 Ways to Really Listen to Your Children

Be patient. Don’t complete their sentences. Let them finish, even if it seems they are rambling. Don’t interrupt. Face your child and make eye contact. Lean forward, if you’re seated, to show you’re interested. Take advantage of passive moments such as watching a video, listening to music, or sitting on the edge of their bed […]

A Sabbath for Mommy

A mother’s work is never done: Feed the baby, change the baby, wash the dishes, sweep the floor, cook dinner … There’s nothing worse than filling the dishwasher twice in one day only to find that there are still dishes left in the sink! Since the birth of my son, I have found myself working […]

10 Ways Parents Embarrass Their Teens

How to prove to your kids that you're not weird.

40 Lessons We Sought to Teach Our Children

Here's a list of values and character traits that helped us focus on biblical priorities in our parenting.

How to Ruin Your Kid for Life

Ten ways to ensure that your child will not succeed.

Surviving a Strong-Willed Child

Four tips for interacting with a stubborn child.

Taming the Wild Tongues in Your Family

Here's help if you're concerned about how your children talk to you and to each other.

5 Ways to Help Your Child Develop a Growing...

We used these ideas to help our children on their spiritual journeys.

Are You Too Concerned With Your Child’s Be...

Many well meaning parents mistakenly focus on a child’s conduct and miss the root cause … the heart.

Don’t Miss Those Teachable Moments

You never know when God will give you an opportunity to imprint His values on your children.

Getting to the Heart of Your Child’s B...

Too many parents focus on changing a child's behavior. More important is what's going on in the child's heart.

Helping Your Child Cling to the One True God

Parents must identify false gods in their children's lives that distract them from the truth.

10 Ideas: Connecting With Your Kids

In today’s activity-packed society, it’s more important than ever to intentionally connect with your kids.

10 Ideas: Creating Quality Time With Your Ki...

These ideas will help you develop deeper relationships with your children despite a hectic schedule.

10 Ideas: Enjoy Spring With Your Kids

Connect with your children by getting outside for these fun activities.

Capturing Your Family Stories

In today's transient society, when family ties are weakening, children need to know their heritage.

Memories That Bind a Family

Your most valuable family possessions are the shared experiences and memories that link your hearts together.

Precious Moments

A creative idea for remembering all the cute things your kids say.

How to Talk to Your Kids When You Discipline...

When we discipline our children, we need to use words that have the power to heal and restore.

Quick Tips for Disciplining Toddlers

Having raised five children, I’ve learned a few things I hope might encourage you.

The “Forgotten” Part of Discipli...

How could a child be happy after being disciplined?

7 Marks of a Hurried Family

Take a stroll down a typical American neighborhood, and you’ll find families who desperately need a break from the rat race

Controlling Busyness in Your Family Life

Our family continues to work on refining these three convictions.

Cultivating Quiet

Setting a tone in my home that allows for the spiritual disciplines of quiet and solitude is my responsibility.

Life Is Good When Parents and Children Slow...

Busy schedules can overtake a home if parents don't maintain a proper balance between activities and leisure time.

A Decent Proposal

Sexy clothes are hallmarks of fashion today, even for young girls. How can you help your daughter make choices that show off her heart, not her body?

Developing Boundaries for Your Teens About T...

These four convictions helped guide us as we taught our teenagers about appearance issues.

Shaping Your Teen’s Convictions About...

The process of shaping convictions needs to begin early.

Beyond Abstinence

Challenging your child to the higher goal of purity.

How do I teach my children about sex so that...

Five steps for developing and implementing a sex education plan.

Protecting Your Son From Aggressive Girls

We're seeing a surge in girls taking the initiative with guys at younger and younger ages, and aggressively attempting to lure them into sexual activity.

Why You’re the Best Person to Teach Yo...

Talking about sex may be the single most powerful way parents have of stepping into the lives of their children.

Adolescence—Are You Ready for the Tough Qu...

A survey in a teen Sunday school class reveals a desire to know the honest truth.

Are You a Relentless Parent?

Raising teenagers means pursuing their heart even when they don’t demonstrate love in return.

Building Integrity Into the Life of Your Tee...

Shaping your child’s convictions about deceit begins as you teach him to fear God.

Guiding Your Child Through Peer Pressure

Many parents make the mistake of releasing their kids to make their own choices at the very time when they are most tempted to follow the crowd.

Helping Your Child Avoid the Traps of Adoles...

Many parents make the mistake of releasing their kids to make their own choices at the very time when they are most tempted to follow the crowd.

How to Ruin Your Teens for Life

Eleven ways to ensure that your teenager will not be prepared for the future.

Lessons From the Rainey Game Preserve

As a parent you do need to set some limits.

Becoming Small

There is beauty in learning to let go of your adult children.

Was It Time to Say No?

A mother's difficult decision about her married daughter.

10 Ideas for Leaving an Eternal Legacy

Will what you do today make a difference tomorrow?

The Slave Who Left a Heritage

My great-grandfather Peter continues to influence his family—several generations after his death.

10 Ideas: Ministering to Orphans

Every Christian can make a difference in caring for orphans and children in foster care.

The Raineys’ Adoption Story

By giving you a brief glimpse into our story, we pray that we will encourage you to prayerfully consider getting involved in adoption and orphan care.

A Parent’s Daily Prayer Guide

The greatest shield of protection we can provide for our children is prayer.

The Power of Praying for Your Children

What we learned about prayer for our children as they prepared for and entered adolescence.

Training Sons to Overcome Sexual Temptation

We should be working hard to save the hearts and futures of our sons from the pervasive decadence of a generation that is spinning aimlessly out of control.

10 Ideas: How to Be Your Daughter’s Da...

The only quality time that you will enjoy with your daughter is what flows from the quantity of time you invest with her.

7-ideas-of-raising-a-daughter-with-brothers

7 Ideas for Raising a Daughter With Brothers

It’s not easy for a girl surrounded by testosterone.

How to be a Princess

As the bride of Christ, young women must learn to present themselves as valuable, priceless princesses.

Crafting God’s Arrows

A biblical battle plan for parenting.

Cutting the Apron Strings

When our children get married, we must let them grow independently of us, no matter how much it hurts.

Releasing Your Arrows

At some point, all parents need to release their children and trust in God's plan for their lives, no matter where that plan takes them.

Dad University

A quick course on being a godly father.

Did You Do Something of Value Today?

Just one day can make the difference in a life wasted and one that leaves a legacy that will outlive us all.

Real Men Are Warriors Who Protect

As a husband and father, you are the warrior who has been charged with the duty of pushing back against the evil that seeks to prey on your wife, daughters, and sons. If you don’t step up, who will?

Stepping Up as a Dad

I realized I needed to be intentional in raising my children. Fortunately, I had a good model: my own father, Hook Rainey.

A Mother’s Legacy

The constant love of a mother becomes a bedrock of security for her children.

Avoiding Mama Burnout

Ten ideas to help keep you sane during the exhausting, overwhelming years with young children.

Fighting the Supermom Syndrome

How to keep from being burned-out by your full-time, stay-at-home-mom job.

If I Could Be a Young Mom Again

Grandmothers share what they would do differently as young moms.

10 Ideas: Overcoming Sibling Rivalry

As we raised our six children, Barbara and I had many opportunities to train them to get along with each other.

Checking Pride and Rebellion During Adolesce...

Because teens are trying to figure out who they are, what they are supposed to do, and what’s expected of them, all of these issues focus on the big me.

Combating Attitude Problems in Your Family

Here are three convictions to build into your child’s life.

Q&A: Disrespectful Speech and Whining

You need to give your child the freedom to express frustration or dissatisfaction, but train him how to do this respectfully—and at the proper time.

Reaching Your Teen When He Is Unteachable

As you face some of life’s most challenging issues with your child, do not forget that love ultimately changes a person’s life.

‘Mom, I’m Pregnant’

Lessons from my daughter's teenage pregnancy.

Inside The Mind of a Prodigal

Every time I read the story about the Prodigal Son, I feel it's a story about me.

Loving the Prodigal Child

A crisis with a child means your family is headed into a period of testing ... and of growth.

When Things Fall Apart

Seven promises for brokenhearted parents

10 Ideas: How to Be Your Little Man’s...

Sons need the model of maleness that they can best find in their father.

What Makes an Incredible Mom?

No mom is perfect, but if you're looking for a standard, I would encourage any mother to grow in these five areas.

The Family Album

Recalling memories from the past can be a family-bonding experience.

The Day Baby Sarah Turned Blue

The story of an orphan who weighed only five pounds at six weeks, yet taught me about God's love and compassion.

Why My Family Loved the Creation Museum

Here are five reasons my family loved the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter and why you should take your family there, too.

The Snares and Traps of the Enemy

Forty-six thousand men took a breath as Tom made his way to his son.

All Articles for Parenting

5 Things Millennial Parents Are Doing Better...

How I Became Okay With My Child Being Just M...

Saying ‘Yes’ to Help Our Kids Fe...

When Fear for Your Child Is Real

The Song That Haunts My Fatherhood

3 Fail Proof Ways to Make the Most of Summer

Teaching Our Teenage Girls the Truth of Soci...

Teaching Respect: 8 Tips for a Snark-free Su...

‘Audrey and John Sitting in a Tree ...

When Your 18 Summers Are Up

7 Ways to Know if Your Kids Will Choose Chur...

Don’t Let Fear Control Your Motherhood

Is Straight-to-College the Best Path for Hig...

Sleepovers—Bad Idea or No Big Deal?

7 Do’s and Don’ts for Parents of Gra...

Having ‘the Talk’ With My Daughter Had a...

How to Train Your Boys to Be Men

Are We Pushing Our Kids too Hard?

Does Raising Children with a Concept of Sin...

Teaching Our Daughters Positive Self-Talk

One Dollar = One Taco: Easy Money Lessons Ov...

Dear Mom, Thanks for the Real Moments of Mot...

Why I Decided to Foster a College Student

To The Single Mom on Mother’s Day

Viral Rant “Society to Working Moms” Tot...

5 Reasons Your Preteen Needs You

Making Your Home a Sanctuary for Your Family

How to Not Lose It on Your Kids After a Stre...

Negotiating Parental Leave for the Working M...

You Might Be a ‘Snowplow Parent’...

When to Tell Your Kids About Your Past

Should We Have Kids?

Teaching Our Kids Not to Be Bystanders to Bu...

Have You Talked to Your Kids About Sex?

When Parenting Isn’t Popular

A Day in the Life of a Working Mom

Lessons From the College Admissions Scandal

Spring Break Is for Making Memories

Every Expectant Mom Deserves a Baby Shower L...

Mom, Kind Is the New Skinny

Helping Your Children in the Discovery of Th...

When Everyone Gets Invited to the Birthday P...

5 Ways to Avoid Being a Drama Addict

Let’s Turn the Helpless Into Heroes

Helping Your Family Understand Racial Reconc...

Questions Every Parent Should Ask Their Kids...

Asking Forgiveness From My Kids … Agai...

‘Mom, I Am Their Father’

Riding the Two Rails of Grief: Faith and Suf...

8 Suggestions for Talking to Your Kids About...

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, How Should Mama...

Gender-Neutral Parenting Isn’t for Me

Why Your Relationship With Your Child Matter...

Would You Say Yes to Becoming an “Inst...

6 Tips to Reduce Stress for the Working Mom

How Can I Let Go of the Mom Guilt?

Investing Time With Your Children: The Chall...

Your Most Important Job as a Parent

Can Mommy Have a Drink?

Three Times a Day to Intentionally Connect W...

What I Wish Drew Brees Had Whispered to His...

God Used a Parakeet to Love Our Daughter

My Son Was Addicted to a Smartphone

A Pop Star’s Surprising Perspective on Pur...

Should Your Family Cancel Dinner?

Saturdays Are for Winning

Smartphones for Smartfamilies

Yes, Momcations are a Thing

Your Child Is Not Your Enemy

Questions to Ask Your Teen About LGBT Issues

Preparing Your Teen for LGBT Discussions

7 Ideas for Engaging With Your Kids This Sum...

I Want My Child to Be an ‘Alien’

Respecting Your Son’s Desire to Provide an...

Parenting Is Not About Raising Well-Behaved...

Don’t Do Motherhood Alone

50 Things You Can Say to Make Your Child Fee...

Verses From The Book Of Proverbs To Teach Yo...

25 Things a Dad Should Teach a Boy

‘Audrey and John Sitting in a Tree ...