Parenting

Recently, I traveled from Ohio to Vermont for a quick Fourth of July getaway and the week after that I headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for another 700-plus mile road trip. These two long road trips were not only an opportunity for…

What did you say? I can’t hear you. Did you lose your voice? I never truly appreciated the Gospel story found in Luke 1 when  Zechariah doubted God’s plan for his life to have a son in his old age and the angel said, “But now you will be…

In his book, How to be a Superman Dad in a Kryptonite World: Even When You Can’t Afford a Decent Cape (Guiding Light Books, 2017), John Clark, husband and father of nine, draws upon his own experiences to discuss the value of fatherhood.…

Q. The youngest of our four children is leaving for college at the end of the summer. He is counting the days until he begins this new adventure, but as the day of his departure grows closer, I can feel myself growing more anxious. I’m…

Q. This question might be filed under, “What are these people thinking?” My high school freshman got a ride home from a recent sporting event from a teammate’s parent. The conversation in the car turned to a high school party that took…

Q. I’m the mom of three children—two boys ages nine and six, and a four-year-old daughter. I wonder if I am unreasonably consumed by fear and anxiety about my kids’ safety and well-being? This issue is starting to be a source of friction…

simple ways to guide your godchildren

Q: What’s with babysitters these days? I have hired at least a half-dozen teenaged girls in the past two years, and the issues that have arisen have led me to conclude that it’s not worth the trouble for my husband and me to go out for an…

Q. When I was growing up, we had a “chore chart” on the wall of our kitchen that listed all the housework each child in the family would do during the week. But my kids have no time for chores because they are completely consumed with their…

The joy of having special-needs children