Training — parents

Whether you call them tree rings, annual rings, or growth rings, chances are you learned about these formational markers as a child. The growth rings of a tree tell its story. Each of these “growth rings” represents a season of a tree’s growth and development. Within a single ring, we’re provided a snapshot of experiences and events during a particular time of a tree’s life. Trees develop in response to their environment. In years of higher precipitation, they grow more, resulting in thicker rings. Thinner rings show years with minimal precipitation. Rings with dents, knots, or dark scars tell what...

Sammy never let his paralysis due to spina bifida slow him down. He loved Sunday mornings when he greeted everyone at the church door with a big smile. Through countless hospital stays he kept a picture of Jesus by his bed. “Sammy dealt with suffering better than any of us,” said his dad. “Even at an early age, he seemed to sense that Jesus understood.” When Sammy died at age 10, his church family celebrated his life with colorful balloons soaring heavenward. While some children with special needs may not grasp the theological concept of grace, they can all experience...

It is rare that a child misbehaves for no reason. Children have needs that must be met. In their emotional and social immaturity, they seek to meet their own needs in ways that adults find inappropriate. Discipline is the process of helping children learn to meet their needs in appropriate ways or to deny their desires until they can be met at an acceptable time. The more teachers (and parents) understand the needs of children at various ages, the more we can anticipate a child’s behavior. Parents naturally understand that a baby needs food, sleep, and changing frequently throughout each...

Postmodernism is the culture we live in, and the prevailing thought of postmodernism is that religious truth is highly individualistic, subjective, and resides within the individual. What that means is that each individual determines what truth really is for themselves. If you doubt that, the next time you have a serious conversation with someone, don’t be surprised when you hear them reference the default statement of all postmodern spiritual truth thinking, when they say, “That’s just your opinion”. How that affects children is that after we have taught them the Bible, the culture will tell them the Bible is totally...