Posts Tagged ‘parenting’
Parenting Toddlers: Love and Security
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ParentingToddlersLoveAndSecurity.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 3:13-26 I. Toddlers A. A wonderful age. 1. Everything is a new and fresh delight 2. Curious about everything a. Often into things forbidden, not because of maliciousness b. But curiosity with what is behind this, with what happens with that? B. Beginnings of communications 1. Relief! You now have clues as to the child’s…
Read MoreParenting Newborns: Learning Patience
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/ParentingNewbornsLearningPatience.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Peter 5:6-11 I. Many changes comes to a family when a child is born A. Preparation is made for the coming years B. With a newborn, it is the parents, not the child who have much to learn C. We could speak of love, devotion, but the lesson needed most is…
Read MoreI recently caught my son masturbating. What advice can I give him?
Question: Hello, I recently caught my son masturbating. I wasn’t aware that he had begun to do something like that. I talked with him about it, and he does feel it’s wrong to do it. He feels he is doing it too much and has difficulty resisting it. He has also looked at pornographic material…
Read MoreMy son recently underwent puberty but has suddenly stopped
Question: My son has recently undergone puberty but his growth has suddenly stopped. He has both facial and body acne, hair on his upper lip, and a consistent deep voice. He is of Asian descent. What stage do you think he is at, based on those few details? I’m too embarrassed to ask for more…
Read MoreShould a parent visit a child who is now unfaithful?
Question: A parent has a child who is unfaithful and living in another state. Is it wrong based on Ephesians 5:11 to visit that child and spend weeks or months in the same house? Answer: If the child is a fallen Christian, then “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named…
Read MoreHow do I get my daughter to obey the first time?
Question: I am having an issue with my eight-year-old. I can ask, or tell, her to clean her room, do her homework, take a shower, or anything for that matter and it takes me being right on top of her and hounding her to do it, and when it does finally get done (if it…
Read MoreOur 18-year-old step-daughter is into sex and alcohol. What do we do?
Question: Hello, I have a stepchild who was living with her mother’s side of the family until age 13 until we got full custody of her. She is now 18. She has been exposed to seeing her mother (my husband’s ex-wife) doing drugs and seeing her mother having sex with multiple guys at once. She…
Read MoreI’m concerned that my 15-year-old still doesn’t want to be baptized
Question: My husband and I both attended Christian colleges and are life-long members of the church of Christ. We have two children, ages 12 and 15, who we have faithfully taken to church since they were babies. They are now both very involved in the church youth group. I am concerned about my 15-year-old…
Read MoreYou Need Standards and Guidance to Reduce Risky Behavior
Source: “Research Finds Parallels Between Sexual Risk Avoidance Approach and Successful Public Health Campaigns to Prevent Teenage Drinking, Smoking, and Reckless Driving,” House Energy and Commerce Health Committee, 06 July 2012. Source: “A Better Approach to Teenage Pregnancy Prevention: Sexual Risk Avoidance,” U.S. House of Representative Committee on Energy and Commerce, July 2012. The Energy and Commerce Health…
Read MoreDoesn’t telling children to obey their parents enable abusers?
Question: I completely disagree that you would teach obeying parents to children or people at your church. Honor does not mean “obey” and if a child or adult is being abused by their parent, they should not obey. You may want to rephrase your messages on your website unless you are enabling abusers within your congregation. Answer: See: Do…
Read MoreThe father of my daughter has a thing for young girls. Did I make the right decision to keep him away from my daughter?
Question: Hello, I was recently in a relationship with a woman who is married. We never had sex, or at least what I consider to be sex. All we did was masturbate together. Have I committed adultery? I have another question as well: I have a daughter. I am 17 but the father is a…
Read MoreDo I tell my children the truth, that their dad and I had sex before marriage?
Question: My husband and I are both Christians. However, we had sex before marriage (only with each other). I have been wondering what to tell my daughters if they ask me if we had sex before marriage. I am afraid if I tell them the truth, then they will think “well, mama and daddy did…
Read MoreI want to compliment you on your answers on spanking
Question: Sir, I wanted to compliment you on your answers on spanking. I am not a believer in any faith, but I have my own feeling about morality and social beliefs. I keep hearing about “all these religious people who beat their kids.” Well, I was spanked as a boy, and I spanked my daughter…
Read MoreDoes a mother have a role in the development of her son?
Question: I was wondering if a mother has a role in the sexual development of her son like the father. Answer: What the Bible indicates is that mothers are important to moral standards that a child grows up to accept. “Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness,…
Read MoreEstablishing Good Habits
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/EstablishingGoodHabits.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 1:2-12 I. We spend a lot of time and money on education A. We learn fundamental skills and search for information that makes us stand out in the job market B. We teach our children, even when they whine and moan about school work, so that they are prepared…
Read MoreParents
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/2012Spring4Parents.mp3 by Robert Speer The Home
Read MoreIs it right that a mother doesn’t want the father involved in their child’s life?
Question: Good evening, I have a friend who had sex outside of marriage and she had a child out of it. She feels very strongly about not wanting the father to be in the child’s life at all because he’s not paying child support, he’s not coming to visit his son as the court advised, and…
Read MoreDo parents have a responsibility to let adult children, living in sin, live in their home?
Question: Do parents of adult children still living at home, who were raised with the Truth, been baptized into Christ but have now turned their backs on the Lord and the church by choosing a sinful lifestyle, have the responsibility to put these adult children out of their homes? Or withdraw from them? Answer: Since they…
Read MoreShould we require our sons to wear lederhosen year-round?
Question: Should we still require our sons to wear short leather shorts year-round? We are from Bavaria in the south of Germany near the Alps. In the past, it was very normal that boys wore the traditional short leather shorts with woolen knee socks. We followed this tradition not to let the boys wear any…
Read MoreBoys Do Better When Raised by a Traditional Family
Source: Graeme Paton, “Boys raised by traditional families ‘do better at school’,” The Telegraph, 3 January 2012 Source: Marianne Bertrand and Jessica Pan, “The Trouble with Boys: Social Influences and the Gender Gap in Disruptive Behavior,” National Bureau of Economic Research, No.17541, October 2011 A study has found that how a boy’s family is structured has a significant impact…
Read MoreCan someone there talk to my son?
Question: I am a single mom with a 14-year-old son who is starting to become curious about sex. I caught him masturbating, which was awkward for both of us, to say the least. I decided this was a perfect opportunity to have “the talk” with him, but he doesn’t want to talk with mom about…
Read MoreCan I spank my 10-month-old?
Question: Can I spank my 10-month-old? Answer: Discipline starts as soon as a child starts to reach for things he should not touch. A firm but calm “No” followed by a flick on the back of the hand is usually enough to discourage a child. The key is consistency. You need to have your child…
Read MoreOur fourteen-year-old runs our house and is ruining our life. What do we do?
Question: My wife and I have a daughter age 14. We love her very much, but we made many mistakes. From the time she turned three, she began having hours long tantrums and screaming fits. Time outs were futile, so we ended up giving in to all her demands. Now we have an unhappy home.…
Read MoreShould I let my son be in a play that contains a short waltz?
Question: Hello, I am a mom with a particular problem: my son wants to be a part of a play and in it, he would be waltzing for a few seconds. He is a 17-year-old with an aim to preach. He has been raised in the Scriptures all of his life, and we are so…
Read MoreAre cartoons dangerous?
Question: Now I have a question concerning cartoons. I know the eye is a window into the soul and you should only do what is just, what is pure, and what is worthy; I know that. My question is if watching cartoons such as Dragonball Z or Pokemon really a sin? There are people who…
Read MoreHow do I explain spontaneous erections and masturbation to my stepson?
Question: During some research, I found on your site, which was named “Growing up in the Lord: A Study for Teenage Boys.” My stepson is beginning a new stage in life, puberty, and he has been getting spontaneous erections. Now, I realize that this can happen at any time and also any place. He’s been…
Read MoreHow do I keep from giving in to my five-year-old?
Question: I have a five-year-old, soon to be six. Her whole life I have pretty much gave in to her, and I see that this has only hurt our relationship. She is a very good kid but all too often throws a fit to get her way. My biggest problem is I show my anger.…
Read MoreWhat Keeps a Man Sexually Pure?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I ran across several interesting studies the other day dealing with the factors that lead teenage boys to engage in sex prior to marriage. One study is titled “The Transition of Adolescent Males to First Sexual Intercourse: Anticipated or Delayed?” The reason for the title is that the surveyed youths were divided into…
Read MoreThe Difference Parents Can Make
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/DifferenceParentsCanMake.mp3 by PJ Anderson
Read MoreMy son told me of his sins just before a car accident that looks like it will be fatal. What can I do for him?
Question: I am a father and my youngest, who just turned 16, has been in a car accident. He is in a coma, and the doctors tell me there is a very real probability he won’t come out. He is showing little brain activity and his organs have begun to shut down. The morning the…
Read MoreWhat is the blueness of a wound?
Question: In Proverbs 20:30, it reads, “The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so [do] stripes the inward parts of the belly.” What does blueness mean? Answer: This is the older way of say “bruise.” We still keep the memory of it when we say a person was beaten black and blue. Bruises look ugly and…
Read MoreHow do I deal with a misbehaving boy who is being mean to my son?
Question: I am having a hard time lately with the way my preteen son is treated by his long time friend at church. One week the friend will be his buddy, the next week he will purposely exclude him and make an issue over leaving him out of a conversation by saying something like “I…
Read MoreHow can you live with yourself?
Question: I came across your site on accident, and to be honest, I am absolutely appalled. I am currently a third-year student, working towards my B.A. in Social Work, and I am astounded at your ignorance. I work with abused children every day, and to see you condoning behavior that destroys a child makes me…
Read MoreCounting the Cost: Using Biblical Principles to Guide our Children in Spouse Finding
by Sally Ann Perz Choosing a spouse is the second biggest decision in one’s life—this is surpassed only by choosing to follow Christ. We must guide our children in this effort just as we lead them to Jesus. We often leave this important choice to them—somehow they are ‘on their own’ when it comes to…
Read MoreWhat Boys, Girls, and Their Parents Need To Know
by Wendi Capehart The following is adapted from an old post the good blogger at Wit-nit wrote. He wished to illustrate just how heady and disorienting a brew lust can be, how dangerous in the hands of the immature, but he is not a believer and he wrote an R-rated post. He allowed me to…
Read MoreAm I spoiling my youngest children?
Question: I am nearly sixty and a widower. My wife gave birth early to a set of twins, but she didn’t survive the delivery. I was left with children ranging from 10 years of age to sickly premeies. The twins survived and will be 13 soon. They are intelligent; spoiled brats to be honest! I…
Read MoreHow does a parent prepare himself for the need to punish?
Question: I have read many of the answers you have given about spanking and while I disagree or am uncomfortable with using anything other than a hand for it, I have seen the positive effects of spanking being part of several punishment options for parents with my friends and their children. I now have my…
Read MoreDo I have to live near my ex-wife for my son’s sake?
Question: My wife had an affair and would not come back to me. We got a divorce. We have a child together. I am not a people-person in general, and all I want is to be by myself. I don’t want anyone around me or even calling me. I just want to be left alone,…
Read MoreEmphasizing the Physical
Text: Matthew 12:1-14 I. Schools have been placed in tough positions in the recent years A. They are told to keep religion out of schools. Almost every direct form of discipline has been forbidden to them. 1. The natural result is the steady decline in the moral standards of their students. 2. In response the community demands the…
Read MoreHow do I stop my 14-year-old son from sneaking out at night to see a girl?
Question: My 14-year-old son has just started sneaking out of our house in the middle of the night. Two times in the last month he left our house at 2 am and walked over one mile to his girlfriend’s house. My son is very sneaky, and he will wait until I’m asleep and then leave…
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