Candice Wynn I was always extremely skinny as a child. Adults would consistently made jokes about my size. They referred to me as a “string bean,” said I was “nothing but skin and bones” and “25 pounds soaking wet.” One windy day, I remember an adult telling me I needed to put rocks in my…
Ashley Bohinc If there is one common theme that surfaces every time I talk with parents of middle schoolers it’s this: it’s really confusing and really hard. Why? Because change is what marks this phase of life, and change isn’t easy for anyone. I have worked with middle school students in educational, athletic, and ministry…
When your high schooler was in middle school, there’s a good chance their biggest motivator was acceptance. They moved in a herd, made decisions as a group, and desperately wanted to fit in. While some of that is still true, your high schooler is changing and before long, his or her biggest motivator will be something new,…
Holly Crawshaw Fall is filled with school starting back, festivals, and holiday traditions. But creating memories takes effort—planning and execution. Here are a few ideas on how to make the most of the fall season with your family. Choose a couple of options that could work for you and your family. Then—and this is important—put…
Jon Acuff When my daughter was ten, I told her that I would write her a story. I write for a living and I’m constantly reading about other authors who do that. On a whim, they write their kids a story and then voila, Harry Potter! I wasn’t going to write her the story because…
Kristen Ivy Parenting humans can be unpredictable. Every kid is different and there are no formulas. It’s hard to anticipate everything. So in a sense, you should anticipate not anticipating a few things. With my oldest child, I didn’t anticipate that . . . he would learn to remove his diaper like a baby Houdini….
Robert Carnes When my wife and I told people that we were going to have a baby, they often asked what I was most looking forward to about being a new parent. My answer? The tax exemptions. I’m only kidding; my wife is a CPA, so that was always her answer. No, I most looked…
Lauren Terrell “I will never be friends with Will*! He has a funny looking hand, and I will never play with him!” my 4-year-old passionately declared the moment she climbed in the backseat of our car after her first day of pre-k. I froze, eyes wide, mouth open. My eyes flicked to the rear-view mirror…
Carey Nieuwhof There is a moment . . . okay, a series of moments . . . that test the outer limit of every parent’s patience. As much as I used the timeout chair on my kids when they were small, there were moments where truthfully I should have been sat on the time out chair when…
(This is an excerpt from the Phase Guides by Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner) Parenting is hard. Just when you think you understand your child, everything changes. And then you have to get re-acquainted and figure out a new way to parent. It might be helpful to know that every kid at every phase is asking a…