Jeff Harrell worked long hours in the restaurant business when his daughter was born. Alyssa was 3 months old when Harrell realized that she clearly had no interest in being with him.“That’s when I knew things had to change,” shares Harrell. “I did not want my child to grow up not knowing me.
One of the most important things you can do is understand adolescent brain development.
Just say the word “adolescent” in front of parents and you will likely get varied responses. Responses range from relief from surviving those years to sheer panic from those who are approaching that developmental stage. Everyone wishes they had a survival guide.Several years ago, The Center for Adolescent Health at Johns Hopkins University decided to create one.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TeenYearsExplained.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-17 00:00:002022-08-23 10:27:06The Teen Years Explained
What percentage of childhood sexual abuse victims know their abuser? Where might you find someone who sexually abuses children? What percentage of child sexual abuse victims tell someone about the abuse?
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/5WaysToProtectChildrenFromSexualAbuse-e1584130578997.jpg6051400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-16 00:00:002020-12-11 16:23:055 Ways You Can Protect Children from Sexual Abuse
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/TalkingToYourKidsAboutSex-family-810297_1920.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-12 00:00:002021-02-18 10:20:49Talking to Your Kids About Sex
A college freshman working as a summer camp counselor called her parents to vent about how bad things were with her supervisor. It was halfway through the program and six other counselors had quit because they were unhappy and not having fun. As the conversation continued, the parents realized their child wanted their permission to quit as well.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/StrugglesCanLeadToSuccess-taylor-nicole-37744-e1584117977582.jpg6931400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-10 00:00:002021-02-23 10:56:51Struggles Can Lead to Success
Here are some things that matter on and off the field.
If you happen to be a Tennessee or UTC fan, it has been painful to watch both football teams struggle to even get on the scoreboard. There’s usually a lot of armchair quarterbacking and coaching going on anyway, but now it has reached a fever pitch. People are calling for the coaches’ jobs and trash-talking team members.Don’t think it is about just these two schools.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/16GoalsForSuccessInTeamSports-riley-mccullough-196374-crop-e1584118182547.jpg7211400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-09 06:30:002021-11-02 12:35:5716 Ways to Score in Team Sports
For decades, research has indicated a strong correlation between involved fathers and child well-being. A 2009 study published in Child Development specifically continues this trend for preventing risky sexual behavior.Researchers led by Boston College Associate Professor Rebekah Levine Coley surveyed 3,206 teens, ages 13-18, annually for four years. They asked teens from two-parent homes about their sexual behavior and their relationship with their parents.The study assessed this group of teens…
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has reviewed research about parental influences on children's sexual behavior and talked to many experts in the field, as well as to teens and parents themselves. From these sources, it is clear that there is much parents and adults can do to reduce the risk of children becoming pregnant before they've grown up.Presented here as "10 tips," many of these lessons will seem familiar because they articulate what parents already know f…
Teen dating in the age of technology isn't always simple.
Today's teens have always had technology in their world, from learning colors and counting to playing games, watching movies and Skyping with their grandparents. Since teens are digital natives, it's logical for technology to play a role in relationships, especially romantic ones.In 2014 and 2015, the Pew Research Center survey examined American teens' (ages 13-17) digital romantic practices. The online survey and focus group results are telling.Though 57 percent of teens have digita…
Before school starts, you can’t go into a store without seeing school supplies. Kids are cramming in their summer reading and some parents are relieved that summer is almost over.The new school year seems like a natural time to think about your child's future. Parents often say they want health, happiness and success for their children, but do their actions actually help or hurt when it comes to preparing their kids for these things?“Many parents micromanage their children's …
Stability in the home impacts a child's wellbeing.
In an article published by the Brookings Institute, Richard Reeves wrote about the fact that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton became a father on Christmas Eve 2015.So what’s the big deal, you ask? Cam is single. He and his girlfriend, along with many others, didn't see the importance of tying the knot before having a child.Before you stop reading in disgust and think this is just old-fashioned rhetoric, please take a deep breath and try to read all the way to the end.There is n…
Everyone can make a difference when they speak out against bullying.
Paul Coughlin’s passion to prevent bullying comes from his own bullying experience while in elementary school. He understands how a campaign of cruelty can damage a person’s emotional and psychological well-being, not just in childhood, but often for life.This knowledge, along with his passion, led him to start an anti-bullying effort called The Protectors, whose primary focus is on the potential strength, heroic desire and rescuing capacity of bystanders. Studies show that bystander…
In “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” Veruca Salt is the bratty little girl who tells her daddy she wants a goose that lays the golden eggs. Her father immediately turns to Willy Wonka and asks, “How much for the goose?”Wonka tells him they are not for sale. Veruca says she wants one immediately, makes more demands of her father and basically throws a temper tantrum.
Parents are a child’s first teacher. From infancy onward, children learn how to navigate life’s journey from watching their parents. The parent’s job is to lead and to cast a vision for a sense of the family’s greater purpose.“I remember a number of years ago, having a conversation with a young man.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LeadershipInTheHome.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-03 00:00:002022-04-07 13:39:06Leadership in the Home
Each moment can be a catalyst for change if you let it.
Like most families, the Whittaker family kept a pretty fast pace with three active children. Several years ago, an experience caused them to press the pause button.“We were in the car with our three children when Beyonce’s Single Ladies came on the radio,” said Carlos Whittaker, author of Moment Maker. “Our children started singing it and I started videoing the moment.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/MakingTheMostOfEachMoment-e1584108456203.jpg6961083Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-02 00:00:002022-04-25 10:22:52Making the Most of Each Moment
Perhaps you've heard of Brock Allen Turner. He's the Stanford University student who was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman who had been at an on-campus party in January 2015.The story initially made the news when two graduate students riding their bikes across campus witnessed the scene unfolding and came to the woman’s aid. The two called police and held Turner at the scene until they arrived.While the jury found Turner guilty on all counts, the judge only s…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/4WaysYouCanModelResponsibilityandAccountability.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-02 00:00:002022-04-25 11:08:584 Ways You Can Model Responsibility and Accountability
You can prepare them now to thrive after they leave.
Do you remember your young adult years? You know, the times when you ate Ramen noodles and searched for spare change beneath the couch cushions and between the car seats because you were a starving student or just starting a new job.There is nothing like knowing you are just barely making it – but still surviving – on your own. Looking back, you may realize those hard years helped you appreciate what you now have.The landscape looks vastly different than it did twenty years ago.According to a 20…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/YoungAdultsLivingWithTheir-Parents.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-02 00:00:002022-03-15 14:20:48Young Adults Living with Their Parents
When summer approaches many youngsters get excited and look forward to attending camps. And many middle-schoolers are pleading their case for staying home alone.But exactly how old is old enough?Surprisingly, only three states have laws regarding a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. Basically, the parent decides if their child is mature enough to be unsupervised at home.Many parenting experts agree that it is not a good idea to leave a child under the age of 9 home alone, but how do you…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Home-Alone-724223-scaled.jpg20482048Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-02 00:00:002022-04-27 10:21:38Should Your Child Stay Home Alone?
The summer months offer a unique opportunity for families to escape the rat race, enjoy each other’s company and make great memories together.Instead of business as usual and letting others determine your summer schedule, consider making your own agenda – one that’s full of adventure and fun. This might sound like a pipe dream, but many families know it doesn’t have to be just wishful thinking.Your first step to summer fun is to consider all of your options. It’s easy to take for granted what is…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/SummertimeFamilyAdventures.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-10-01 00:00:002022-04-27 10:37:44Summertime Family Adventures in the Tennessee Valley
Expressing love to your girl on this holiday matters.
Dad, don’t forget an important woman in your life on Valentine’s Day – your daughter.It’s never too early to establish a Valentine’s tradition to express your love to your daughter. A father’s love profoundly impacts a girl, and many believe that a woman takes her relationship with her father (good or bad) to the grave.The father/daughter relationship plays an integral role in a young girl's life. It can even give her the self-confidence to deal with chall…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Untitled-7-01.png5001200Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-25 00:00:002022-02-22 13:00:27Dads, Daughters and Valentine’s Day
A Father’s Love
Jeff Harrell worked long hours in the restaurant business when his daughter was born. Alyssa was 3 months old when Harrell realized that she clearly had no interest in being with him.“That’s when I knew things had to change,” shares Harrell. “I did not want my child to grow up not knowing me.
The Teen Years Explained
Just say the word “adolescent” in front of parents and you will likely get varied responses. Responses range from relief from surviving those years to sheer panic from those who are approaching that developmental stage. Everyone wishes they had a survival guide.Several years ago, The Center for Adolescent Health at Johns Hopkins University decided to create one.
5 Ways You Can Protect Children from Sexual Abuse
What percentage of childhood sexual abuse victims know their abuser? Where might you find someone who sexually abuses children? What percentage of child sexual abuse victims tell someone about the abuse?
Talking to Your Kids About Sex
Where did I come from? What are the birds and the bees? What is sex?
Struggles Can Lead to Success
A college freshman working as a summer camp counselor called her parents to vent about how bad things were with her supervisor. It was halfway through the program and six other counselors had quit because they were unhappy and not having fun. As the conversation continued, the parents realized their child wanted their permission to quit as well.
16 Ways to Score in Team Sports
If you happen to be a Tennessee or UTC fan, it has been painful to watch both football teams struggle to even get on the scoreboard. There’s usually a lot of armchair quarterbacking and coaching going on anyway, but now it has reached a fever pitch. People are calling for the coaches’ jobs and trash-talking team members.Don’t think it is about just these two schools.
Dad’s Impact on Teens
For decades, research has indicated a strong correlation between involved fathers and child well-being. A 2009 study published in Child Development specifically continues this trend for preventing risky sexual behavior.Researchers led by Boston College Associate Professor Rebekah Levine Coley surveyed 3,206 teens, ages 13-18, annually for four years. They asked teens from two-parent homes about their sexual behavior and their relationship with their parents.The study assessed this group of teens…
10 Tips for Parents: Teen Pregnancy Prevention
The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy has reviewed research about parental influences on children's sexual behavior and talked to many experts in the field, as well as to teens and parents themselves. From these sources, it is clear that there is much parents and adults can do to reduce the risk of children becoming pregnant before they've grown up.Presented here as "10 tips," many of these lessons will seem familiar because they articulate what parents already know f…
Teens, Technology and Romance
Today's teens have always had technology in their world, from learning colors and counting to playing games, watching movies and Skyping with their grandparents. Since teens are digital natives, it's logical for technology to play a role in relationships, especially romantic ones.In 2014 and 2015, the Pew Research Center survey examined American teens' (ages 13-17) digital romantic practices. The online survey and focus group results are telling.Though 57 percent of teens have digita…
Raising Successful Children
Before school starts, you can’t go into a store without seeing school supplies. Kids are cramming in their summer reading and some parents are relieved that summer is almost over.The new school year seems like a natural time to think about your child's future. Parents often say they want health, happiness and success for their children, but do their actions actually help or hurt when it comes to preparing their kids for these things?“Many parents micromanage their children's …
Marriage Benefits Children
In an article published by the Brookings Institute, Richard Reeves wrote about the fact that Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton became a father on Christmas Eve 2015.So what’s the big deal, you ask? Cam is single. He and his girlfriend, along with many others, didn't see the importance of tying the knot before having a child.Before you stop reading in disgust and think this is just old-fashioned rhetoric, please take a deep breath and try to read all the way to the end.There is n…
How to Prevent Bullying
Paul Coughlin’s passion to prevent bullying comes from his own bullying experience while in elementary school. He understands how a campaign of cruelty can damage a person’s emotional and psychological well-being, not just in childhood, but often for life.This knowledge, along with his passion, led him to start an anti-bullying effort called The Protectors, whose primary focus is on the potential strength, heroic desire and rescuing capacity of bystanders. Studies show that bystander…
How to Avoid Raising an Entitled Child
In “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” Veruca Salt is the bratty little girl who tells her daddy she wants a goose that lays the golden eggs. Her father immediately turns to Willy Wonka and asks, “How much for the goose?”Wonka tells him they are not for sale. Veruca says she wants one immediately, makes more demands of her father and basically throws a temper tantrum.
Leadership in the Home
Parents are a child’s first teacher. From infancy onward, children learn how to navigate life’s journey from watching their parents. The parent’s job is to lead and to cast a vision for a sense of the family’s greater purpose.“I remember a number of years ago, having a conversation with a young man.
Making the Most of Each Moment
Like most families, the Whittaker family kept a pretty fast pace with three active children. Several years ago, an experience caused them to press the pause button.“We were in the car with our three children when Beyonce’s Single Ladies came on the radio,” said Carlos Whittaker, author of Moment Maker. “Our children started singing it and I started videoing the moment.
4 Ways You Can Model Responsibility and Accountability
Perhaps you've heard of Brock Allen Turner. He's the Stanford University student who was found guilty of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman who had been at an on-campus party in January 2015.The story initially made the news when two graduate students riding their bikes across campus witnessed the scene unfolding and came to the woman’s aid. The two called police and held Turner at the scene until they arrived.While the jury found Turner guilty on all counts, the judge only s…
Young Adults Living with Their Parents
Do you remember your young adult years? You know, the times when you ate Ramen noodles and searched for spare change beneath the couch cushions and between the car seats because you were a starving student or just starting a new job.There is nothing like knowing you are just barely making it – but still surviving – on your own. Looking back, you may realize those hard years helped you appreciate what you now have.The landscape looks vastly different than it did twenty years ago.According to a 20…
Should Your Child Stay Home Alone?
When summer approaches many youngsters get excited and look forward to attending camps. And many middle-schoolers are pleading their case for staying home alone.But exactly how old is old enough?Surprisingly, only three states have laws regarding a minimum age for leaving a child home alone. Basically, the parent decides if their child is mature enough to be unsupervised at home.Many parenting experts agree that it is not a good idea to leave a child under the age of 9 home alone, but how do you…
Summertime Family Adventures in the Tennessee Valley
The summer months offer a unique opportunity for families to escape the rat race, enjoy each other’s company and make great memories together.Instead of business as usual and letting others determine your summer schedule, consider making your own agenda – one that’s full of adventure and fun. This might sound like a pipe dream, but many families know it doesn’t have to be just wishful thinking.Your first step to summer fun is to consider all of your options. It’s easy to take for granted what is…
Dads, Daughters and Valentine’s Day
Dad, don’t forget an important woman in your life on Valentine’s Day – your daughter.It’s never too early to establish a Valentine’s tradition to express your love to your daughter. A father’s love profoundly impacts a girl, and many believe that a woman takes her relationship with her father (good or bad) to the grave.The father/daughter relationship plays an integral role in a young girl's life. It can even give her the self-confidence to deal with chall…
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