Is disciplining children the responsibility of grandparents too?
“When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window,” poet Ogden Nash once said, encapsulating one of the most common sources of intergenerational conflict—the role grandparents play in the upbringing of their grandchildren.
Raising future gentlemen
In a world of rising toxic masculinity, here are some basic foundations we can provide to ensure our sons grow up to be men who make us proud.
What we can learn from our children
The relationship between a parent and their child is one of the most significant in their lives, with its primary role being education.
Single parents and children’s religious education
Is it possible, as single parents, to instil in our children a love for God and for the church?
Lessons from a mum’s group
FTM here. My LO has been EBF since birth. Now she’s eight months. My MIL thinks she should be on purees, but I want to try BLW.”
What kind of children do our words shape?
"The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice" (Peggy O'Mara).
The fear that holds kids back
Before the age of two, most children think the world revolves around them. From their point of view, what they think and how they feel must be what others think and feel, too. They don’t have the concept that other people have different needs and perspectives. It’s why if they can’t see you when they’re playing hide-and-seek, they believe you surely can’t see...
Identity crisis: a short guide for parents of teenagers
I have two reasons for writing this article on identity crisis. First, I am the father of four children, three of whom are very different teenagers (14, 17 and 19 years old) and I think I have a vague idea of what it means to deal with teens. Second, in the studies I’ve recently taken up, I was surprised to discover that most...
Parenting school: the counsellor and consultant phases
This article is the third and last in the "Parenting School" series. The first two parts were published in the May and June 2020 issues of Semnele Timpului, the Romanian version of the ST Network.
Looking for a loving father
Fathers are an important part of their children’s lives. Good dads can provide stability, protection and love in a child’s life.
“My children are geniuses” (and other exaggerations of the modern parent)
Every generation of parents loves their children and searches for the best ways to support them and prepare them for a successful start in life. Modern parents, however, often take this effort to extremes, complicating their children’s lives (and their own, just as much) in an attempt to clear a perfectly smooth path for their still-uncertain steps.
The great failure of too high expectations
From the first positive pregnancy test, parents often build up expectations for their baby. And as the little one grows, so do the expectations—emotional, cognitive, moral and academic. While it's only natural that this should be the case, as children need to be set standards, parents' expectations can often turn out to be a double-edged sword.
Are you indoctrinating your children?
My one-year-old son eyes the chickpea-filled bowl suspiciously. He tentatively pokes a stubby finger into the bowl and starts stirring the legumes around. I’m pretty sure it isn’t my imagination when, seconds later, his hazel eyes light up and his little pink lips curve ever-so-slightly upwards.
Disciplining children creates distance. True or false?
He is 22 years old and has deep black eyes. He is tall and very confident. Why wouldn’t he be? He is doing satisfactorily in college, works to support himself and makes the most of his free time with his friends.
My child is unique and God knows it
As Christian parents, the most important legacy we want to leave our children is faith in God.