Most moms I know, including myself, would make great professors. We’re naturally skilled in the art of lecturing. The words flow effortlessly and profusely from our mouths, especially when we perceive a character flaw in our youngster. In all that, however, we aren’t growing character with teachable moments as well as we could! Take the recent “Episode of the Dirty… Read More

For the last month, we have seen SO many fantastic posts on building character in our kids! What a blessing to have these kinds of resources to draw from. Now comes the hard part:  putting the things that we know we need to do into action, and setting the example in character training. Character building sounds like an excellent idea… Read More

How do you respond when your kids won’t listen to wisdom? My son, give attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding. Proverbs 5:1 I’m sure it is no accident that, as I write this, one of my sons is fiercely bemoaning his current misfortune. Which, among other things, is not being allowed to attend youth group. His wails… Read More

Sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the goal when we are in the trenches of parenting. We forget that our job is one of discipleship. As a mother of four grown children, I understand. We had four children in 39 months, and I remember one day thinking, “Am I ever going to do anything besides feeding, diapering, cleaning,… Read More

  What are some practical ways to teach honesty to our kids? It really can be done with these simple practical ideas!   About six years ago, I first challenged my boys to pursue the adventure of living according to the knight’s code of conduct. I had stumbled upon this brilliant idea to inspire the moral imagination quite by accident… Read More

Today we are looking at Specific and Practical Ways to Teach Obedience, one of the most foundational character traits to teach our kids! Specific and Practical Ways to Teach Obedience Enter Our Strong-willed Show Stopper. “ARIA STOOOOPPP!!” I scream at my daughter. She had let go of my hand and was running full speed ahead toward the pool fully clothed and… Read More

Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education. ~~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Sr. A myriad of educational programs exists with lofty names such as “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top.” All of these focus on academic training and leave little time for character development. Even parents who teach their own children are sometimes caught up… Read More

Teaching kindness to your children doesn’t have to be difficult, and can even be fun with these tips! Kindness. Something we as Christians are called to “clothe” ourselves with (Colossians 3:12); one of the greatest things we can receive; one of the most difficult things to learn to give. And yet, teach it we must, for we are all very… Read More

Character building in elementary aged kids creates some unique challenges for parents who want their kids to develop Godly character. I have noticed, with my own son, three areas that have significantly changed as he’s grown.  First, that complaints and grumbling have crept in as his responsibilities within our home have increased. The novelty of being grown up enough to… Read More