Children learn best by the hands-on work of play and journeying through everyday life. Marilyn Elliott shares a teachable experience she had with her kids. When their pet hamster died, she used the experience to help them understand what happens when a loved one passes away.
Being a parent is hard. Then, there is a spectrum of parenting styles to choose from. From micromanaging your child’s life through play dates and arranged activities to completely free-range parenting, the choices are endless. Kathy Milans shares what a model of parenting with healthy play looks like from her perspective as a registered play therapist.
This week’s Soul Care video features Catherine Stonehouse talking about nurturing children and how important it is for us to know how to do so.
How in the world can we talk with our children and help them understand death when we don’t understand it ourselves? The topic makes us uncomfortable and afraid. It touches pain inside our own hearts from the questions we have that remain unanswered. Ellen Martin offers helpful, solid advice for helping our children death with death and grief.
How does the family system operate, and what happens when it doesn’t work the way it should? In today’s Soul Care Collective Aging and Spirituality Video, Dr. Don Joy explains how crucial the family system is in the development of a person’s emotional life, and what the consequences are when the family system is dysfunctional.
We live in an time when media attention raises awareness (and also fear) of childhood sexual abuse. With all the danger we see, how in the world can we keep our children safe? Kathy Milans shares wisdom and tangible resources that will help you keep the children in your life more safe from sexual predators.
“I once had an ‘out of control’ teen brought to my counseling office by a Christian family. My first question to the parents was, ‘Tell me the rules you have for your son in your home.’ The parents looked like two deer mesmerized by car headlights. I knew that my work needn’t be with the child in this family. My work was to teach the parents how to set healthy boundaries for their son.” Are you seeking a healthier and more peaceful relationship with your children? Kathy Milans shares wisdom about the value of setting healthy boundaries.
Sometimes, as Christians, we can get really good at navel-gazing. We can get so caught up in the busyness of everyday ministry, that we fail to see the people. One thing that I have often noticed is how easy it is to be so surrounded by church people that we never even encounter the outside world in a meaningful way. For me, the most important question has become, “What am I going to do about it?”
There are so many graphic images in the media and frightening talk about things happening all around the world. How do we use this age of terrorism as an opportunity to disciple our children? Every family is different. There is no one-size-fits-all response. Your response must be fitting for your family. However, there are ways to talk about terrorism that shed the Light of Christ on the subject. Ellen Martin shares wisdom on how to talk about terrorism from a Christian framework.
It has been two and a half years since I first held my Olivia in my arms. Early in my journey, Laura Beach encouraged me to reflect and write on my experiences becoming a new mom. “So many are walking this journey and need some guidance, and not much has been written,” she said.
Sigmund Freud observed that the two great themes of adult life are love and work. Although reluctant to elevate Freud’s work as a spiritual compass, I think his observations on this point were on target–
“We can’t go there. We can play anywhere in our yard.” My oldest child explained the boundaries for outside play to visiting friends. “If you do that one more time, I am going home.” My
