3 reasons to say ‘I love you’ when disciplining your child

February 26, 2014 | Michael Foust | Posted in Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged Children, discipline, disciplining, God, Hebrews, love of god, Parents, timeout

For some reason, I don’t remember the specifics about the first time I disciplined my firstborn. I only remember hating it.

I’m sure I’m not the only parent who felt that way. Disciplining a child – giving them a stern lecture, taking away their favorite toy, or putting them in timeout, all while they cry – is never fun.

It is, though, bound up in love. As parents we discipline our children because we want a peaceful home, yes, but also because we want them to learn to obey higher authority, and ultimately to obey God (Hebrews 12:5-9).

To fail to discipline is to fail to love. A child without discipline is a child possibly on the path to failure, to lifelong rebellion.

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5 lessons from Proverbs that will make you a better parent

February 10, 2014 | Michael Foust | Posted in Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged Children, Father, God, kids, morals, mother, Parents, Proverbs, solomon, values, wisdom

For most of my life I’ve thought of the book of Proverbs as a collection of “moral nuggets” – a buffet of sorts that has a verse for just about any situation in life.

Proverbs certainly has plenty of wisdom in it, but lately I’ve been looking at its overarching themes. That is, the “lesson behind the lessons.”

Moms and dads can learn a lot from Proverbs. Here are five themes that stick out to me:

1. Be a parent and not a “buddy” or “friend.” That is, a parent has God-given authority over their kids, a role that comes with enormous but wonderful responsibilities. The writer of Proverbs, Solomon, makes this obvious from the start: “Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.” Think about your best friends in high school. Did you ever give them “instruction” or “teach” them anything? No, you just had fun. Of course, I have lots of fun with my children. We laugh all the time. But even though I playfully call my two sons my “buddy,” my role is to be their father. Continue reading →

5 great educational apps your kids will love (part 1)

January 25, 2014 | Michael Foust | Posted in Parents & media usage, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged Android, apps, brain pop jr, Children, clifford, educational apps, fun, iPhone, stack the states, wordworld

Brain Pop Jr.’s characters.

I’m kind of an old-fashioned dad to my three children. I’d rather them play outdoors than indoors, and I want them to read books instead of watch TV.

But I do like to use smartphone and tablet apps, in moderation, for learning. My oldest son has learned quite a bit from educational apps, and I’m always looking out for new ones that can help him learn something else.

We’ve tried dozens of apps – deleting many of them – and we only keep ones that have education and fun at their core. Typically, we pay a dollar or two for them.

In this first part of a multi-part series, here are five that have stood out. All are available on iPhone and most on Android devices. Continue reading →

The reason boredom is actually good for children

January 7, 2014 | Michael Foust | Posted in Parents & media usage, Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged Archibald hart, Children, digital invasion, focus on the family, Parents, protecting your child, Sylvia hart frejd, video games

As it turns out, “I’m bored, Mom” could be one of the best things a parent can hear.

That’s the conclusion of counselor and author Archibald Hart, who believes that our media-crazed, constantly stimulated culture is harming the creativity and imagination of children. Hart and his daughter, Sylvia Hart Frejd, appeared on Focus on The Family’s radio broadcast recently, and if you have children who play video games or desire to do so, I’d encourage you to listen. And after you do, you just might pick up your child and flee the next time someone hands him or her that Wii controller.

The theme of the broadcast (which is in two parts) is “Protecting Your Child From the Digital Invasion.” They say parents should avoid flocking to media every time their child is looking for something to do. When kids are bored, Hart says, they are forced to use their imagination.

Among their somewhat shocking conclusions: Continue reading →

3 ways parents can keep ‘Christ’ the center of Christmas

December 20, 2013 | Michael Foust | Posted in Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged Charlie Brown Christmas, Children, christ at the center of christmas, christian parents, materialism, savior of the world, what do you want this year for christmas

My wife and I were watching a movie a few nights ago, when a teacher asked a group of elementary school students to give one word describing the “spirit” of Christmas. “Joy” was written on the chalkboard, as was “giving.”

I was begging for someone to shout “Jesus,” but it didn’t happen. The last kid said “Santa,” the teacher smiled and told him “good answer,” and the scene ended.

That kind of summarizes America’s view of religious-themed holidays. We celebrate bunny rabbits at Easter, turkeys at Thanksgiving, and materialism at Christmas.

I’ve never been to a birthday party where the cake, cards and napkins all have the wrong name on them, but I bet it’s something like Christmas.

Sometimes as a Christian parent, it’s tempting to just give up and join in the what-am-I-getting-this-year bash, but we shouldn’t. With a little determination, it really is possible to keep “Christ” at the center of Christmas. Here are three suggestions:

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