Kids, Spring and the Parables of Jesus

Kids, Spring and the Parables of Jesus - Parenting Like HannahSpring is a great time to have fun with your kids and teach them some of the parables of Jesus at the same time. Parables are great. They were short stories told by Jesus that helped people understand more difficult spiritual concepts by using things they encountered in their every day lives.

Because Israel in the time of Jesus still had many people who spent time or lived in more rural areas, many of the parables deal with livestock or growing things. Unfortunately our children, who tend to live in more suburban and urban areas may not have a lot of experience with either farm animals or growing plants. When they hear some of the parables and their meaning, they may understand it a little by the words, but they don’t have that core understanding the culture of the time gave the initial listeners.

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Teaching Kids Godly Tolerance

Teaching Kids Godly Tolerance - Parenting Like HannahImagine your child has invited a friend to your house. They volunteer to cook dinner on the stove. Before you leave the kitchen you say, “Do you remember the safety rules for the stove?” The visiting child replies, “Our family doesn’t believe in rules for the stove. We think the red burner is a symbol of joy and can’t hurt you.” “Well,” you say kindly “that’s an interesting perspective, but..” Before you can say anything else, your child interrupts, “Mom, please don’t be so intolerant. My friend is entitled to her beliefs and I think it is wonderful she feels so strongly about stoves. Don’t insult her by trying to force your beliefs about hot stoves and consequences onto her!”

So what do you do next? Let the visiting child potentially get a serious burn because you didn’t want to appear intolerant and question her “truth”? Or do you gently explain the reality of hot stoves and burns to her?

Tolerance has been redefined in our world. Your children are exposed to a very interesting definition of tolerance by society, probably by educators and even possibly by ministers and teachers in their church.

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Letters to Daughters on Being a Wife

Letters to Daughters on Being a Wife - Parenting Like HannahAlmost anyone who gives parenting advice will tell you one of the most important gifts you can give your kids is to have a great marriage. There are probably hundreds or even thousands of books on the market about marriage. Many are helpful, some are even from a godly perspective. I know many of you will want or need to read a book to help your marriage at some point, so I’m always on the lookout for great new resources.

I was intrigued when offered the opportunity to review the new book Letters to My Daughter – The Art of Being a Wife by Barbara Rainey. Rainey has been married for decades and is the mother to six adult children. As her daughters were married, they began to ask her questions. In her ministry role, she was also asked questions about marriage by other young women.

She decided the best way to answer their questions was to come up with a book that framed her answers as if her daughters had asked all of questions and she replied in letter form. The resulting book is a beautiful volume filled with godly advice from a woman who has lived through several decades of marriage with all of its ups and downs.

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Fun Ways to Teach Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious

Fun Ways to Teach Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious - Parenting Like HannahIn Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious, I shared some of the reasons why it is a critical Christian life skill to teach your kids to look beyond what they see with their eyes. Being able to do that well can make their lives fuller and richer and protect them from all sorts of Satan’s traps.

So besides having regular discussions about the concept, what are some things you can do to help them practice the skill? Can you teach them how to look below the surface with discernment and humility rather than with judgment and pride? Here are some ideas to try. Different personalities will respond differently to these activities, so don’t be afraid to experiment and use the ones that work the best with your kids.

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Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious

Teaching Kids to Look Beyond the Obvious - Parenting Like HannahA few months ago experts found evidence that behind an average battle scene painted by a man named Vasari (who is actually famous for his writing, not art) is a work by Leonardo da Vinci. For centuries now, people have walked by this average mural not realizing a fabulous masterpiece had been painted over to create the current painting. Someone though saw something others missed and did the research to find the masterpiece hidden below what is obvious to the eye.

Most of us go through life like those thousands of people who walked by that painting for centuries. We see only what is visible to the eye – and sometimes even miss that opportunity. If we don’t teach our kids to break that cycle and learn to look below what is on the surface, their lives will not be nearly as rich and godly as they could be.

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