Elemental Parenting

A few weeks ago, I began a series called Passing on Faith to explore some of the views there are when it comes to parents passing on faith to their children. The first post in this series talked about viewing faith as an inheritance. If you missed it, be sure to check it out. Today, we’re going to look at an article by Rev. Raymond J. de Souza that was originally posted in The National Post on February 25, 2010. Be sure to check out the article in it’s entirety. de Souza sees the act... (more...)

I told my kids that tonight. It’s been an exhausting month as we’ve been getting our house ready to put on the market. We had an open house this weekend, and I was tired and needed the kids to go to bed. Grumpy dad reared his head. I hate it when that happens. Then I ran across this video on Ragamuffin Soul: I know how he feels. All you can do is say sorry and hope to do better next time. How about you? Do you feel like a horrible parent sometimes? AKPC_IDS += "66,";Popularity: 59% [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({... (more...)

A huge HT (hat tip) to Jared Kennedy for this resource for families! The resource is called Let Your Kingdom Come: Preparing Your Hears for the King by Carri Garvey. It is a devotional guide for families to do during Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday. There are daily readings and reflections as well as using the idea of the Advent Wreath and putting a little twist on it so that it becomes a Lenten Wreath. In addition to the readings, there are some suggestions on how you can learn and reflect... (more...)

(photo originally uploaded to Flickr by sean drellinger) I began this series entitled Passing on Faith over at Elemental Children’s Ministry and thought that it would be good to crosspost the series over here at Elemental Parenting. My senior pastor sent me a couple of articles that sparked the series on Passing on Faith. The first article is from The National Post, written by Brendan T.N. Caldwell who is a CEO of an investment management company. Click here to read the article. I thought... (more...)

I was initially disheartened when I started reading this article. Is there really no guarantee that my children will be Christ followers? No matter what I do, I can’t be one hundred percent certain that they will choose to practice my faith? What’s the point, then, of trying so hard? What’s the point in having kids? However, as I read more and considered what I was reading, I realized that the author is right. I’ve known too many families and too many people with all the... (more...)

Christianity Today’s most recent cover article is entitled The Myth of the Perfect Parent. I was found out about this article from my friend Larry Shallenberger or at the Children’s Ministry and Culture blog. As I read the article, I found myself saying things like, “YES!” and “EXACTLY!” out loud. One of the first things I like to tell parents when they ask me about raising children is to ignore all the parenting books and magazines and figure out what works for... (more...)

(picture originally uploaded to Flickr by neoneddy) When it comes to kids and being online, there is no way to be sure that they aren’t going to come into contact with (accidentally or intentionally) inappropriate material. There are some things, though, that we can do to help our children cultivate habits that minimize the amount of digital fodder they come in contact with. One of the easiest ways to help your children stay safe online is to limit the accessibility of online content. Content... (more...)

Warning: Before watching this video, be aware that there might be some images that might be disturbing for younger children. When disasters like the one in Haiti happen, sometimes it is hard for us as parents to know how to help our children respond. How do we explain why bad things happen? How do we help our children process the images they see on TV and online? I think the best thing we can do is listen to our children. Give them an opportunity to express what they are feeling whether it be through... (more...)

(picture originally uploaded to Flickr by fd) There is one question I always ask my kids when they go online, “What are you going to do?” The reason I ask this (and I tell them why) is to reinforce for them that when they go online, they need to have a reason. There are too many harmful things online for my children to simply “surf the web.” It also instills in them a sense of accountability. I wouldn’t let my young children simply wander through the neighborhood without... (more...)

I’m not quite sure I remember where I first saw the picture above. One of the blogs I read had it. Apparently, Failbooking.com is a site where you can submit fake or real pictures of humorous social site messups. I laughed hysterically when I read it. I loved the creativity with which this mom chose to deal with what her daughter said. Are you aware of what your children are doing online? What do you do to help your children make wise decision when it comes to viewing and posting online content? AKPC_IDS... (more...)