Category Archives: Parents of young children

3 biblical lessons for parents when your child is selfish

| | Posted in Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged , , , , ,

3 biblical lessons when your child is selfishIt was a picture perfect Spring evening for baseball as I took my two sons to their first minor league game.

The sun was setting, there was a nice warm breeze blowing through the stadium, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We ate popcorn. We devoured peanuts. We even got to watch a train pass close by the stadium, which always is a treat for the kids.

After a couple of innings we visited the playground located outside the foul line in left field. My sons were having a blast.

We had passed this empty stadium multiple times on the highway, and my oldest had said he longed to see a game there. So here we were, in that very stadium that my son wanted to visit, doing presumably everything he wanted to do.

Then it came time to leave. He didn’t mind leaving, but he wanted cotton candy first. Never mind that I had not promised him cotton candy, that it was too late to eat anything that sugary, that I had already bought him a ticket, and a popcorn, and a bottled water, and that he was able to play on that playground for so long that he was tired. He wanted cotton candy, and he wasn’t leaving until he had it.

I told him no, and he got mad. He raised his voice. He cried. Even stomped his feet. We went to the car with him upset and me wondering how that situation could have been avoided. And he didn’t get any cotton candy.

When our children are selfish and ungrateful, what are we to learn? I think God is telling us something – about ourselves. The Bible draws many parallels between the relationship between God the Father and His children (Christians), and earthly parents and their children. Often, our children serve as a mirror of our own actions. It’s as if God is holding up a full-length mirror and screaming from heaven, “Look!”

Here are three lessons to consider:

1. We, too, are ungrateful. When my son or daughter or your son or daughter is ungrateful, we are getting a vivid yet honest reminder from God of our own sin – a small glimpse of what our sin looks like to a holy God. When the Apostle Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing,” he certainly had in mind living in a constant state of gratefulness for our blessings. But how often do we thank God for the basics of life — food, housing, health, clothes, a job – much less the things He gives us that we “desire” (that car, that boat, that vacation)? And even when we mumble a prayer, how often are we truly grateful?

2. We, too, are prone to forget our blessings. How many times have you prayed to God and received the answer that you desired, only to forget it quickly and six months later wonder in your heart, “Why has God abandoned me?” We forget that God has blessed us multiple times in multiple ways, over and over, abundantly. We are prone to forget, to stray, to wonder. We’re like every other person who only remembers what happened five minutes ago – the meaningless Facebook post, the pointless TV show. It’s the “what have you done for me lately?” syndrome. We want the cotton candy.

3. We, too, rebel against God. So often, it’s when we’re living in the midst of God’s blessings that we’re prone to sin. Deep down, we begin to credit ourselves for our blessings, forgetting that all good things come from God (James 1:17) and that He is due praise for every blessing in life. In our sinful heart, we begin even to wonder if we need God. In other words, our spiritual life often hits rock-bottom when God is blessing us the most. Just like I did to my sons, God may pour blessings on our lives – the “popcorn,” the “peanuts.” But he’s still not buying us the cotton candy.

Michael Foust is an editor and writer who blogs about parenting and fatherhood. He loves his family and also really likes popcorn. Interested in re-posting this in your publication or on your blog for free? Send me a message in the comments section below (the message won’t go public).

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4 tips for telling kids the Easter story

| | Posted in Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged , , , , , , , ,

4 tips for telling kids the Easter storyI won’t ever forget the first time I told my oldest son about Christ’s death and resurrection. It was right after he spit up on my shoulder, and just a few minutes before I placed him gently in his crib. I don’t think he understood much at all that evening. He certainly didn’t ask any questions. In fact, I’m pretty sure he already was asleep.

He was an infant, about six months old.

I’ve repeated that routine most nights since then, and have now incorporated it into a bedtime song. For his twin brother and sister, I began telling them the Gospel message much earlier, right after birth.

With the Easter celebration upon us, parents often wonder: What’s the “right time” to talk to a child about such a concept as death — specifically, Jesus’ death? May I suggest the answer is now?

We tell our children every day that we love them, so why should we wait until they’re older to share with them a much greater message about love? That is, that the God of the universe loves them even more — so much so that He died on a cross for them.

For some parents, though, this can be a difficult subject. Here, then, are four suggestions to make it easier.

1. Be positive. Talking about Jesus’ death on the cross is easy because it has an ending far greater than anything Disney ever will produce. Sure, if the story only were about death, it would be difficult, even awful. But Jesus rose from the grave and is alive! When I tell the Gospel to my children at night, I never stop at Jesus’ death. If we’re reading the chapter about the cross and the tomb, we don’t end there. I want them to go to bed knowing that the God of the universe conquered sin and death and couldn’t be kept in the grave — and because of that, they can have eternal life. It’s called “Good News” for a reason. Continue reading →

3 ways spring can teach your kids about Christ

| | Posted in Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

3 ways spring can teach your kids about ChristMy 6-year-old son enjoys snow, but even he couldn’t handle what we saw outside our window recently.

We had endured a winter that saw 50 inches of snow, when, finally, spring arrived, melting everything in sight. We played on the grass. We rode bikes down the road. We even started the lawnmower. The temperature was approaching 60 degrees.

Then it happened. We awoke one morning, looked out the window, and just stared in disbelief. The landscape was again covered with snow – about half an inch by my estimation.

During winter, we’re
like the resourceful farm kids
who play ball with a pig bladder.
There’s just got to be
something better, right?

I was amused, knowing the midday sun would take care of it. He, though, was distraught. He ran to his room, jumped in his bed, buried his head under his cover, and started crying. This is the same child who, three months earlier, was telling me how much he loved the snow – how living in a colder climate was “so much fun” because he could sled every day. But even he couldn’t take any more of it.

God gave us the seasons for a reason, and my son was learning that the hard way, even if he didn’t understand fully the theological ramification.

It’s no accident that God raised His Son during the time when much of the world is thawing out. Winter and spring serve as a sort of living illustration of our faith, in several ways. For instance:
 Continue reading →

6 ways moving with children can be a breeze

| | Posted in Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged , , , , , ,

6 Ways Moving With Children Can Be A BreezeMoving to a new home is rarely fun, but moving with children can be extra-challenging – so much so that you begin to question your decision to move in the first place.

My family and I recently moved from a city of 600,000 to a town of 900, and we’ve done it without our 6-year-old son – the oldest – ever complaining. From the moment he learned he was moving to today, he seems to have enjoyed every step.

I’m sure it’s far more difficult to move with teenagers, but I also know that my son lost all his old friends and made a whole bunch of new ones – and that’s not easy to do for any age.

So what was our “secret”?

Here are a few steps we took that helped us and could help you, too, if you’re moving or relocating:

Continue reading →

15 people with Down syndrome address future mom in powerful must-watch video

| | Posted in Parents of infants, Parents of toddlers, Parents of young children | Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

15 people with Down syndrome address future mom in powerful must-watch videoCan a 150-second video change our society’s perspective on life – specifically, the life of people with Down syndrome?

If so, we now have that video.

Called “Dear Future Mom,” the now viral video shows 15 people of various languages with Down syndrome speaking into the camera, addressing a pregnant mom who is carrying a Down syndrome baby. The mom, we are told at the beginning, is scared and wondering, “What kind of life will my child have?”

So these 15 unique individuals – each created in God’s image – tell her.

“He’ll be able to speak and tell you he loves you,” one smiling girl tells the camera.

“He’ll be able to go to school, like everybody,” another one says. Continue reading →