Posts Tagged ‘parenting’
How do I deal with my son declaring he is a homosexual?
Question: Good Morning I’m struggling. Not long ago, my son announced that he is gay. We are members of the Lord’s church and have been all my life, and he has been all his life. I have told him from day one that I do not support his decision and I cannot allow him to…
Read MoreFatherhood
by Alex Krutov Becoming a Father This is something, I wanted to write for our son’s 1-month birthday. It is hard to believe that Levi is going to turn 1 month old in a few days. Where did the time go? Yes, many people told us, do not rush the time and enjoy every moment…
Read MoreShould couples knowing they have a high probability of passing on a genetic disease try to have children?
Question: Hello Sir, I came across your notice/ Q&A on this subject. I will attach images of the Q&A I’m commenting about. I would like to know personally why would you imply that would would hope parent would trying to have their own kids knowing there is a possibility that they can birth a sickler?…
Read MoreHow do I find someone to spank my teenage son?
Question: Hello, I have a question. I’m a single mother of a 16-year-old boy and I don’t want to spank him, though he needs it and nothing else seems to work. Any recommendations or ideas of who I could reach out to who might be willing to mentor him? Because I am single, I do…
Read MoreHow do I explain to my son that his friend is sinning?
Question: One of my sisters in Christ is a teen girl (age 19). She is also my son’s best friend. I know her well, and I follow her on social media platforms. She recently posted a picture of herself with a friend who is a girl. Her written post attached to the picture included calling…
Read MoreAm I to Blame for a Wayward Child?
by W. Frank Walton Introduction One of the most heartbreaking parts of life is for a parent to lose a child to the world (II Samuel 18:33). Guilt probes the sensitive conscience of a loving parent, “Am I to blame?” The Bible clearly teaches a balance of parental duty to influence a child (Proverbs 23:26),…
Read MoreMy wife is afraid to have children
Question: I would like your advice on this matter, please. My wife and I have been together for nearly ten years and married for almost five years. When we were dating, she said she never wanted kids unless it is with the right man. So apparently I was her right man and she wanted to…
Read MoreHow do we worship with an autistic child?
Question: Hello. I wrote to you about 5 or 6 years ago for some advice on how to help my severely autistic son during worship. Today, he is 8 years old, and going to worship never got easier. However, it got extremely hard, to the point where going was nothing but a major distraction and…
Read MoreThe Need for Foundations
by Jefferson David Tant In news reports from Atlanta, Georgia, there have been pictures of a service station/convenience store that is collapsing. What is the problem? There is a large water conduit running under the property, and evidently, a huge leak has formed, perhaps even a collapse of some sort. This has caused the collapse…
Read MoreCan a child have too many toys?
Question: Can too many toys hamper a child’s play? Answer: You might be surprised to learn that overindulging in “things,” such as toys, can lead to boredom. The article “Boredom” provides more details.
Read MoreWhat do we do when the government is involved in our child rearing?
Question: What do we when outside government authorities are involved in our child raising? Answer: This becomes a difficult question to answer well because much depends on the reason the government has seen fit to interfere. The best that I can do is answer in general and hope that I have hit upon your…
Read MoreWhat Is Your Attitude Toward Brethren Whose Children Go Wrong?
by Peter J. Wilson via Truth Magazine, May 3, 2001 The rearing of children at any age is a fearful responsibility. God entrusts into our care a soul (worth more than the whole world) wrapped in a tiny body. While that child is a gift from God (Psalms 127:3; Genesis 33:5), we are really stewards of that…
Read MoreMy Beloved Children
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018Spring1MyBelovedChildren.mp3 by Raymond Warfel, Jr. Lessons from Matthew
Read MoreDo parents need to explain why they made their decision?
Question: Not too long ago, I asked you a question about honoring parents. You led me to some very helpful links. Thanks. My new question to you is: What if the parents abuse their power? For example, what if a child owns a car and wants to drive it, and the parents tell him not…
Read MoreI don’t understand, our granddaughter is absolutely defiant of authority, even as a small child
Question: Hello, Thank you for the time you take to answer so many questions. My story is long and my questions are many being new to the church of Christ, so I will ask for insight into just one specific situation that is leaving my husband and me not really having accurate knowledge in this…
Read MoreShould we allow our son to get an earring?
Question: Dear brother Jeffrey, I hope you are doing well, and that everything is going well in your work and in the local church. Brother, I wanted to ask about this personal matter. I have a 15-year-old son who is not a Christian. He is generally a good boy and obedient to us like his…
Read MoreWe suspect our daughter is stealing, but she hasn’t been caught. Any words of wisdom?
Question: Hi, I read the article about the family dealing with their two daughters stealing and we are in a similar situation, but the only thing is that, while we have gone through similar experiences, our daughter (14-years-old) has never been caught and denies that she has been stealing (we have been contacted by her school…
Read MoreThose Who Will Give an Account
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17). Most recognize the quote from Hebrews 13:17 as referring to the…
Read MoreDoes a husband have to take care of children in a marriage who are not his?
Question: Does a husband have to take care of children in a marriage who are not his? Answer: When you marry a woman who has children from a prior marriage, you are accepting responsibility for those children. “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has…
Read MoreHow do you handle in-laws who are evil toward your child?
Question: What do you do in a situation when your in-laws are evil toward your child because they don’t like you? They take it out on her — nice one minute and evil demonic the next — even using profanity and bodily harm against her, and all you say is “I’ll pray for you.” Answer:…
Read MoreA Father’s Reply
by Dave Beckley Long ago, my husband wrote the following to one of our sons. To our many sons and daughters today, please read, for he longs the same for each of you. Joanne Beckley Dear son, Your letter was very revealing and open, a reflection of your honesty and confidence in us. We are…
Read MoreTeach Your Children
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/TeachYourChildren.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhere Is Your Dad?
by Kevin Sutton During the interview, the young man confessed to a crime that no doubt would send him to prison. I turned the recorder off, interview over, case solved, I had done my job. Even though I was certain that I knew the answer, I ask the young man anyway. I ask, “Son, where’s…
Read MoreWhen do I start talking to my boys about nudity, puberty, growth, and sexual issues?
Question: Hello, I’m a father of three boys. First off, I’ll let you know some information about me. When I was a boy and an adolescent, my father never told me things about puberty, sex, or girls. He talked a little but never told me what they were or what to expect. He never showed…
Read MoreMy one-year-old son refuses to apologize for hitting
Question: Dear sir, I have a toddler boy who is one year and eight months old. He is my first child. Recently he is learning to speak. I noticed that when he hits family or other toddlers, no matter knowingly or unknowingly, he refuses to apologize. Even worse, he will break whatever he holds in…
Read MoreTeaching Children About Fornication
by Mark Roberts “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (I Corinthians 6:18). Perhaps no precept of scripture is as widely ignored as this one. Our society is absolutely obsessed with sex. Advertising, movies and television, printed material,…
Read MoreGenerational Degeneration
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/GenerationalDegeneration.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWill parents be held accountable for the video games their children play?
Question: Will parents be held accountable for the video games their children play? What if one is a step-parent? Answer: Whether a child genetically comes from you or not, the fact that you have taken on the role of a parent means you are responsible for the raising of the child into an adult. That…
Read MoreChildren and the Bible
by Doy Moyer Somewhere along the line, it seems to me, there has been an assumption that all the stories in the Bible have to be something for children. If some account is disturbing, then there is a problem with the Bible — as if the Bible was written just for the sake of kids.…
Read MoreI recently discovered that my daughter is sexting with a boy
Question: I am a Christian. I just found out that my daughter, who is also a Christian and almost 19 years old, is sexting. I found very sexually explicit emails between her and a boy who is supposed to be a Christian as well. This happened a couple of years ago and the boy’s parents…
Read MoreI’m afraid my son is gay
Question: I sense my son is gay because he has never had a girlfriend. And I have caught him watching gay porn. I raised him in the church, where it is taught that that is a sin. How do I talk to him about his struggles and that his lifestyle is a sin? A sin…
Read MoreMy daughter is planning to marry someone we do not think is suitable
Question: Jeff, I stumbled onto Do you need her parent’s blessing before marrying? I was looking for information to present to my children living at home why I can’t attend a marriage between my daughter and a young man whom she feels is “perfect.” My husband did not give his blessing for her to date or court…
Read MoreI had an affair and became pregnant. My husband forgives and wants to keep the child, but I am so ashamed that I don’t think I can love her.
Question: I had an affair and became pregnant. I came clean with my husband, and he forgives me and wants to raise the baby as his own, which is wonderful. It’s me that’s having a terrible time with forgiving myself and accepting this child. I feel no bond whatsoever, and it’s all because of the…
Read MoreHow do I deal with the fact that my daughters were molested by a leading member of the church?
Question: Hi there, I have a complex issue that I am trying to sort through biblically and do right by my family, others, and the law. Two of my daughters have been sexually interfered with by a “leader” of the local church here. The first time was with my oldest daughter on a couple of…
Read MoreMy brilliant son has rejected God!
Question: Hello, ‘Religiously speaking’ it’s dry around here where I live. I have a super bright son, in his twenties, who has rejected God. He wasn’t raised that way, but he’s gotten too intellectual. In desperation, I gifted him a stay on the Wheaton College campus for a week several summers ago to hear Ravi…
Read MoreHow do we treat our daughter who says she is now a homosexual?
Question: How are we to treat a homosexual person? She is our daughter. This has never happened in our families before. We are so hurt by this. She was raised in a Christian home. We want her to come to her senses and live the way God wants her to live. We want all our…
Read MoreMy son won’t let anyone, including his doctor, see him naked
Question: Good morning. My son is just 15 and at 3.4 according to your Tanner calculator. I am in the military and am very concerned that he is very shy and modest almost like a girl. I haven’t seen him naked since he was maybe 6 or 7 because he hides himself very effectively. From…
Read MoreDo I let my daughter hang out with worldly people in hopes of leading them to God?
Question: I was addicted to alcohol and used drugs from the time I was 11 until about 25. I had a baby at 25 and began thinking strongly about how my parents’ choices and life of sin had shaped me into the person I had been. After feeling something in my life needed to change…
Read MoreHow do I get a child to stop swearing?
Question: Hello Jeffrey, I was wondering if you could give me a few strategies for deterring swearing in my eight-year-old. It has already happened twice in the last few days, and I’ve explained to him why it’s not appropriate to say those things. So I am hoping that did the trick, but just in case,…
Read MoreMy seven-year-old, who is tall and skinny, thinks she is too fat. What do I do?
Question: Thank you for such a helpful website! I’ve read the article on Five to Nine-Year-Olds this morning. I’m concerned about my seven-year-old girl who attends public school. She’s naturally a tall, thin girl but she asked me if I think she’s fat and lately has been obsessed about this — showing me her stomach and asking…
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