Christian Parenting

“You know, sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage. Just literally 20 seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” — Benjamin Mee, “We Bought a Zoo” As a kid, I loved rollerblading at break-neck speeds. I was never scared to fail; I just wanted to try. I parent in that same way. Figure it out — if you fail, we’ll work together and find the solution, but I promise you that you are capable of…

If a child is rude, or misbehaves, or uses bad language, in addition to gently but firmly teaching them right behaviour, it’s also important to check where the child picked up the habit from. One thing I’ve learnt from observing my 4.5 year-old and other kids I get to spend…

Two sweet! Yes, my baby turned two (a few months ago — I am posting this late). And it’s been a good two years of parenting. Each day raising this tiny human has come along with lots of learning. I have understood the desperate need for wisdom and grace only…

In my mind, I envisioned this launching off with a few happy tears I could dab away with a tissue. But this is different, and this is tough. Truth be told, this is gut-wrenching. The tears aren’t dabbing tears, they are sobs where I’ve found it hard to catch my…

by Mary Ellen Rothrock (2005) This vignette was part of volume of essays by Christian women edited by Jewell Reinhart Coburn and Joyce Smith Helyer. The full book title was “Authentic Voices: Women of Insight Talk About Real-life Challenges.” In 1994, after enduring eight years of acute “Sandwich Generationitis,” I…

Last week, I brought my 2-year-old son, Ethan, to the playground. Another boy, who was about 5 or 6, came a bit later. He was sweaty, overexcited, and very rough around Ethan. When Ethan tried to get on the swing, he jumped in front of him and snatched the swing. …

Being a mother is hard. We are called to model ourselves after Mary, Christ’s mother, who surrendered to God so completely that she gave the ultimate sacrifice, second only to Jesus’s own — the accepted loss of her own child for God’s glory. We’re human, though, and sometimes we struggle…