Weekly Christian Parenting Challenges #10

Many school systems changed their minds this week and reinstated remote learning for the fall semester. Did this impact your family? While distance learning can add new challenges, it can also offer some valuable benefits. Here are this week’s social media challenges to help you make the best use of your time together.

Monday: Having a hard time discussing something with one of your kids? Sometimes they will avoid a conversation, but read a good book on the topic. Try to find one that’s interesting and doesn’t come across like a lecture. Even better is if you can find Bible stories or verses that discuss the issue. If they have a book they want you to read, it’s a good idea to do it. Chances are the author has influenced them and you need to understand exactly what they have read in order to interact with them from an informed place.

Tuesday: It takes self control to wear a mask, practice social distancing, not say the first thing that comes into your head….avoid sinning. Self control (or controlling ourselves)isn’t fun a lot of the time. It goes against our selfish nature. Self control is one way to live out the two greatest commands. Why? Because the Bible tells us loving God means we obey God – even when disobedience sounds more fun to us. And loving others means we can’t be selfish – by the Bible’s detailed definition of loving others. Working with your kids on self control can be difficult – especially if you struggle with it yourself – but self control is crucial for living a productive Christian life.

Wednesday: Even though the people in this museum exhibit look real, they are merely holograms. They can be made to do whatever their creator wants them to do. They have no feelings, thoughts or opinions. Your kids aren’t holograms. You will have to work hard to mold their hearts and minds towards God, because they do have feelings, thoughts and opinions. It may not be easy, but if you don’t put in the work, it’s highly unlikely they will grow to become productive Christians.

Thursday: Your kids may be feeling extra stress and anxiety with a return to remote learning. Or they may be bored because their activities have been cancelled. Now is a great time to teach them healthy ways to cope and feel free time. Art, crafts, music, cooking, exercise and more are great ways for kids and teens to spend time. They may even discover some of their gifts from God in the process.

Friday: Have you ever noticed that God has a sense of humor? There are some passages in the Bible that are just full of humor. Humor can make a bad day easier. Humor can add joy to a good day. The wrong kind of humor, however, can destroy your child over time. “Teasing” humor often involves making fun of some attribute of a person. It is not kind or loving. It whittles away a child’s self esteem. Often it is not even true…like teasing a thin child about her “fat” thighs, but then she believes it no matter what she sees in the mirror. Sarcastic humor can also be cruel or disrespectful. Make the humor in your home the kind that builds up – not those kinds that tear down.

Published by

Thereasa Winnett

Thereasa Winnett is the founder of Teach One Reach One and blogger at Parenting Like Hannah. She holds a BA in education from the College of William and Mary. She has served in all areas of ministry to children and teens for more than thirty years and regularly leads workshops for ministries and churches. She has conducted numerous workshops, including sessions at Points of Light’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the National Urban Ministry Conference, Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration. Thereasa lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Greg, where she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and cooking.

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