BIG THINGS are coming August 1st! Check back then to see what's new.
BIG THINGS are coming August 1st! Check back then to see what's new.
BIG THINGS are coming August 1st! Check back in then to see what's new 👀
BIG THINGS are coming August 1st! Check back in then to see what's new 👀
BIG THINGS coming on August 1st! Check back with us then to see what's new 👀
BIG THINGS coming on August 1st! Check back with us then to see what's new 👀
4 Fun Ways To Connect With Your Family This Fourth Of July
Ready or not—here comes the 4th of July! But what if this year you really connected with your family, not just got the grill out and some sparklers? Holidays are a great opportunity to connect, strengthen family bonds, build your family identity, maintain or start new traditions, and even learn some history in a fun…
How To Deal With Toxic Family Members
Have you ever noticed that every time you leave a certain family member’s presence, you feel worse than you did before you saw them? Have you ever noticed that your aunt gossips all the time? Or that your in-laws criticize your every move? Or that your own parents are more controlling now than ever? And…
How Do I Stop Fighting With My Kids?
Is anyone else having issues with their kids and getting them on schedule or getting them to do the things around the house the first time you ask? I knew the COVID-19 pandemic would change our lives for a few weeks, but I never considered that it would stretch into the summer. As a result…
How Do I Make My Child Feel Secure?
We pull up to the little league baseball field where I’m about to have three different kids with three different practices on three different fields. There are only two parents. But before I can barely shift the van into park, my 11-year-old son darts out of the van, grabs his baseball equipment and sprints to…
8 Ways To Teach Your Children About Race
No matter what your experience or lack of experience has been when it comes to race, there is no denying that your personal experience impacts what you believe and how you behave. As adults, it also affects what and how you teach your children about race. Additionally, it informs how you respond to others who…
How Much Affection Should I Show My Child?
Short answer: Show affection as much as you can. Often, we use the words “affection” and “love” interchangeably. While understandable, and they can certainly overlap, I’m going to make a distinction between love and affection. Affection is adoration, fondness, liking someone. So our question would change to: How much should I show my child that…
My Kids Are Driving Me Crazy: 30 Tips to Stay Sane
Staying calm in the face of a screaming or irrational child having a tantrum is no easy task. (Especially if it is in public or around friends & family. You feel like everyone is watching and judging. And they probably are. You just gotta get over that. It’s hard.) Let’s start with you. We often…
How Relationships Can Transform Race Relations
Sam Collier didn’t have his first white friend until he was 21 years old. “It wasn’t until I had this friend that I realized how different our worlds were. He didn’t understand my world and I didn’t really understand his,” says Collier. It might be helpful to know that Sam is one of five children.…
5 Reasons Why Marriage Can Be Harder After Having A Baby
No matter how you slice it, the birth of a child brings about changes that can be challenging. Here are some of the reasons why marriage can be harder after having a baby and how those challenges can make your marriage stronger. Unspoken Expectations. You probably have a picture in your mind of what your…
How To Make Sure Your Child Knows You Love Them
“Of course my child knows I love them!” But do they? Really? To be clear, I’m not questioning whether you love your child; I’m questioning whether your child knows that you love them. Do they know how broad, wide, and deep your love is for them? There’s more to your child feeling loved than saying,…
10 Questions Couples Should Ask Each Other Before Having a Baby
There’s a lot that happens when a couple has their first baby… Sleepless nights. Endless, life-impacting decisions. The world being turned upside down. Re-creating a “new normal.” A constant fear of things going wrong. The steep learning curve for both parents. The list could go on, and on, and on. And I’ve heard it all……
5 Ways Summertime Can Help Your Family Bond
Summertime might mean a fun vacation with the family, kids in sports leagues or at camps, and visits from extended family. Fun stuff! It can also be a hectic, expensive time, punctuated by your kids saying, “There’s nothing to do!” Summertime can mean “quality time,” and this summer can be a summer to remember. Fun…
Dear Wife, This is What You Should Know About Your Husband After Having a Baby
Dear Wife, Congratulations on the birth of your new bundle of joy. You and your husband have started a great new chapter in your relationship. I’m sure you have fantasized about having the best family and you are probably looking forward to seeing how great a dad your husband will be. That’s why I decided…
Am I a Bad Parent?
Every parent at some point has asked the question, “Am I a bad parent?” You’re not alone if you’re thinking about questions like this: Am I doing this right? What am I doing wrong? Why don’t I have enough (time, money, energy) to do this? Do I have what it takes to parent my child?…
I Think My Teen Hates Me
Do you mind if I pretend we are sitting at a coffee shop, and you just said, I think my teen hates me, and we just have a chat? Cool. Oh, who am I? I’m the father of four kids who were teens and one who still is. (I’m looking forward to being a retired…
How to Help Your Child Deal with Storm Anxiety
They told us we had a moderate chance of severe weather Easter night and to be weather aware. How many times have we heard that and the weather amounted to nothing to write home about? Many went to sleep thinking if there was severe weather in the area, storm alerts would go off on phones…
How to Establish a Family Quiet Time
Some people saw How to Establish a Family Quiet Time and thought, “Yeah right. There’s just no way. You haven’t been to my house. You don’t know my kids.” I am just one of the latest work-at-home dads who is amazed at just how much activity, noise, and energy can be expended by my co-inhabitants.…
How Do I Get My Teen To Talk To Me?
How do I get my teen to talk to me? My first thought was to think back on all my experience parenting and working with teens. My first thoughts are frequently wrong. I realized that my 14-year-old son, Jude, was sitting right next to me. Ding, Ding, Ding! He has the best credentials to answer…
Why You Need To Get Your Kids To Help Around The House
You’re probably less interested in the “why” of getting help around the house, and more interested in the “how” of it. I get it, but you need to understand the “why” first and believe it. Taking care of yourself—physically and mentally—is incredibly important, especially right now. Stress, anxiety, fear, and plain old fatigue will all…
How Not To Get Stir-Crazy At Home With Kids
I couldn’t figure out what it was at first. My first three days of work at home due to COVID-19 were really strong. I was sharing the house workload: cleaning, cooking, laundry, and the like. I was spending some quality time with the kids. And then suddenly, it all changed. I was unmotivated to work.…
P.O. Box 391
Chattanooga, TN 37401
423-267-5383
By engaging with our content or purchasing resources, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy | © 2026 First Things First