S is for Sam!

Yesterday I mentioned that my 4-yr. old is learning to read—and that a lot of people get stressed out about reading! Don’t be worried if your preschooler hasn’t started putting the sounds together yet (lots of brilliant people were late readers!), but there are lots of things you can do to encourage reading. Here’s a [...]

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Girls are people, too!

Some suggest that girls really do not need a rigorous education if they are going to assume the duties of wives and mothers….This is very short-sighted and assumes that the men in the Church today do not need wise helpers. Women should be educated as rigorously as possible to prepare them to be women of wisdom [...]

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Calculus for Toddlers

My four-year old is learning to read! I remember being four and wanting to read (I used to hold the newspaper upside down and pretend I was reading), but my mother had been strictly warned not to teach me how—that was a professional’s job. 
Times have changed. Now we show letters, numbers, shapes, and algebraic formulas [...]

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Ten Ways to Raise a Nonreader

 1. Have the television on at all times. Make sure you put a television set and a computer in every room. (Don’t forget the kitchen!)
2. Keep the place neat–no books or literary magazines in sight.
3. Never let your children see you read a book.
4. Never take your kids to the library.
5. Never read stories aloud [...]

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From Pooh’s Little Instruction Book

“Poetry and Hums aren’t things which you get, they’re things which get you. And all you can do is to go where they can find you.”
-Winnie-the-Pooh

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It’s that time of year again

Sending “Sweet Pea” (Southern term of endearment for children) into the great big world for the first time? Here’s one dad who feels your pain.
My Firstborn Goes to School

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More Expert Advice!

 
Dear Expert,
My pastor says that I should make my children go to church, pray, and memorize the Bible. But shouldn’t we let children think for themselves? And, I don’t want him to obey just because he’s afraid of the consequences. I believe that it’s not about “control;” it’s about waiting for the child to receive [...]

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A Prayer to be said by Parents for their Children

The following prayer is found in Holy Living and Dying by Jeremy Taylor.
O almighty and most merciful Father, who hast promised children as a reward to the righteous, and hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy, and an engagement of my duty; be pleased to be a Father unto them, and give [...]

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Happy Birthday!

A little poem I wrote for our Samuel on an earlier birthday.
 
Once poor, the house a small treasure now holds.
A baby boy with sapphire eyes
And full, fat fingers, bravely takes
On tickles, tugs, and tiny campaigns bold.
But when the night brings sweet, silver sleep,
They watch–and kiss the moonlight on your hair.
For when the King, (who on [...]

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Ask and You May Receive

Five children and their parents visited our church today. It was one of those really annoying families that make the other kids look bad! They were the kind of people that make parenting look so easy. They enjoyed the service, hardly even casting a glance at their sparkling row of offspring. And they all looked [...]

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Child Safety

When home is ruled according to God’s Word, angels might be asked to stay a night with us, and they would not find themselves out of their element. — Spurgeon. 

When my children were two and three months, we moved into a beautiful, spacious, historic brick home at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. With more square [...]

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Times they are a changin’

So much for My Very Earthly Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles
You can read about it here.

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A Little Ungrateful

 Next to the waffles I place fresh blueberries, still wet from their dutiful washing. The kids love blueberries–just the right size for grabbing with small pincers.
“Samuel, can I have one of your blueberries?” I ask. “No ma’am!” comes the firm reply. I try again…this time with reason and persuasion: “Samuel, I bought those for you, and washed them for [...]

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Faith and Hard Work

It takes diligence, hard work, and faith to raise godly offspring for God, but it is a soul-satisfying work….The mother of young children must have an eye toward the day when all her children, by the grace of God, will be adults who rise up in her presence and bless her. It may be difficult [...]

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What is a Mother?

  The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines a mother as “the female parent.” For most of us, the word mother has warm connotations, but for others, even the very word proves sexism and oppression. But what should women of faith think of when they hear the word mother? There was a time when the answer to [...]

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