Parenting Like Hannah

Being the Message for Your Kids

Being the Message for Your Kids - Parenting Like Hannah Sometimes Christianity can be confusing. There are so many churches, looking at the Bible in so many ways. Frankly, some seem so far removed from what God teaches, it is hard to imagine they consider themselves Christian. Yet, as Christian parents, we not only have to figure out how to teach everything in the Bible to our children, but help them learn how to actually live what they read.

Recently, I was given the chance to review the new book Be the Message: Taking Your Faith Beyond Words to a Life of Action by Kerry and Chris Shook. Throughout, the authors attempt to help readers understand what living God’s Words – being the message in their terms, looks like on a day to day basis.

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Rethinking Christian Parenting

The word parenting brings up a variety of images in our minds. Many of those images are based on how your parents raised you. If your parents beat you, you have an internal reaction to parenting based on those beatings. If your parents were loving, you may have an entirely different reaction to the word “parent” than the person whose parents were harsh and cold. Unfortunately, when anyone begins to coach us on Christian parenting, most of us immediately disappear into our own memories of childhood and what a parent should or shouldn’t be.

In many ways, beyond providing love and the necessities of life, much of parenting more closely resembles teaching and coaching. Unfortunately, there are enough bad teachers and coaches to distract from any parenting messages. So what is the solution? How can Christians approach parenting so people hear the messages of what their children need without filtering it through their own experiences quite as much? How should we view our role as Christian parents so we are focusing on the important things God wants for our children?

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Why You Need to Snuggle With Your Kids Today

Why You Need to Snuggle With Your Kids Today - Parenting Like Hannah I always thought snuggling with your kids comes naturally to every parent and is done on an almost daily basis. Then last night, I heard a cop say that until he joined the force he didn’t realize some parents use the police to settle their arguments. It made him realize there are a lot of families who don’t understand how to parent in ways that are the healthiest for their children. I also realize many parents have the best of intentions, but let the busyness of life rob their kids of needed snuggle time.

Why do kids need snuggle time? Is it important enough to eliminate other activities or let some dishes go unwashed for a few more hours? I think it really is vital, for Christian parents especially, to snuggle with their kids. Here’s why:

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Thanksgiving In A Box

About this time every year, many parents begin searching for service projects to complete as a family. They want a project that will help their children understand how grateful they should be for the blessings God has given them. They want a way to serve others and share their faith at the same time.

A great way to introduce your children to grateful service and faith sharing is to involve them in a project during the upcoming school holidays. During these days with no school or extra curricular activities, many families find they have free time to fill. Rather than just turning on the television, I challenge you to do this special service project with your family. To make it even more fun and challenging, see if you can pull it off without the recipient knowing who served them, but still find a way to share your faith with them!

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Love Letter to Moms of Preschoolers

Love Letter to Moms of Preschoolers - Parenting Like Hannah The other day I was in the checkout line behind a young mom with two children under the age of five. She was simultaneously trying to get her older child to help her unload the cart, while also answering her younger child’s questions and keeping his busy hands from handling things she had no intention of buying for him. She looked tired and I don’t blame her.

Parenting preschoolers can be exhausting. Everything is new to them. They are built to explore everything in order to quickly ramp up their knowledge base. This often involves exploring things they shouldn’t, which means teaching appropriate boundaries almost non-stop. They are also trying to figure out what they can and can’t do physically. This means lots of accidents, clumsiness and touching and handling things which shouldn’t be touched or handled. Of course, this requires more limit teaching and limit reinforcing. Experiments with language also require more teaching, more limits, more reinforcement.

Let’s be honest. The parent of a preschooler has basically a non-stop running monologue that consists of “No!” “I said no!” “Please don’t touch that” “Be gentle” and answering thousands of important questions which usually begin with “Why?”. Frankly, there are days when the idea of running a marathon seems easier than keeping up your pace for the ten hours left in the day.

I will tell you what I told that precious mom who was trying so hard to train her children to be helpful, respectful and obedient in the checkout line. “God bless you! Keep doing that hard work every day. If you can be consistent and use godly principles as your foundation, you will never regret it. You will find the rest of childhood and even the teen years a breeze in comparison.”

So hang in there, Mom! I know you are tired, but I promise you there will be time for rest later. Right now love those precious little ones. Teach them about God and His commands. Teach them how much God loves them. Teach them we show our love back to God by obeying His commands and loving and serving others and telling them about God. Set firm, consistent limits and enforce them consistently. Give meaningful consequences for disobedience. Enter your children’s worlds and help them discover their God given potential. You won’t regret it for a minute.