December 24th, 1972 – My sister and I are huddled in the back seat of my Dad’s Buick rumbling down interstate 64 from my grandmother’s house in Dunbar, to our home in Hurricane, West Virginia. It was late. What started as an amazing dinner, spun itself into caroling, and storytelling, and presents, and laughter. We…
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on CNET. Pens and notebooks, you may be on the way out as the main tools of classroom learning. At least according to one study, technology is catching on in a big way. New survey data from online-learning site Quizlet shows that teachers and students…
Why did I care so much about my kids and their driving habits when they first got their licenses? Well. . . simple answer is that I remember many of the risks I took when I was first out on the road by myself (sorry Mom and Dad!). Inexperience, adolescent impulsivity, smartphones, and that “nothing……
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on WTTW. More than 5 million underage Americans report binge drinking at least once a month, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The NIAAA says it is a “serious health problem” for underage drinkers and poses a range of risks and negative consequences…
The Story of the Ugliest Christmas Tree In our first year of marriage, I was still finishing up my education degree while my husband worked for a church as a youth pastor. We were poor. Even when we dug under the couch cushions for loose change (which we frequently did), we barely had enough to…
This morning, I logged on to my Google News Feed and checked out the stories that came up with the key words “Teen,” “Teenager,” “Adolescent,” and “Adolescence.” Sadly, the news that pops up is usually less than positive. Today, however, it was even worse than that. Here’s a sampling of the headlines that caught my…
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on PsychCentral. New research suggests there is more to helping kids become successful than pushing them to be involved in a multitude of activities and to score at the top of their class. In short, being a Tiger mom may be a little short-sighted. The Arizona…
Every year it’s the same hopeful mantra… This year, Christmas is going to be different—I’m going to find a way to slow down and focus on “the reason for the season.” I’ll find the time to really focus on Jesus… And then, with a determined face, we work hard to make it happen. And we…
Splink 1: Baptism Example This week’s lesson was about Jesus’ baptism. Share a simple object lesson and then talk about your own baptism. (How old were you? What it meant to you. Show them your baptismal certificate or a picture of your baptism, if available.) Hold up a wedding ring and ask: What does…
So you probably think you would be a much better parent if you had more hours in the day, don’t you? Bummer that life doesn’t work that way. When you have another child, it’s not like someone shows up and magically hands you another 4 hours a day. Nope, now you have to manage 100%…