Dr. Warren Farrell, psychologist and author of Father Child Reunion, was intrigued with why children with active fathers do so well. In an attempt to better understand it, he spent more than a decade analyzing worldwide research.“I knew when I started this research that dads were important, but I had no idea how important,” says Farrell.
Use these tips to connect with your children more!
The pressures of fatherhood are great. On any given day, balancing work and family, finances and discipline usually rank at the top of the issue list. For years, our culture has told men that being a good provider equates to being a good dad.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/KidsNeedTheirDaddy-e1584102838956.jpg7561400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-25 00:00:002022-05-12 11:29:49Kids Need Their Daddy
Dr. Nita Shumaker, pediatrician and president of the Tennessee Medical Association, is on a mission. When she’s not seeing patients, she’s spreading the word about the danger of opioid use and its impact on people everywhere.“There were 64,000 deaths in the U.S.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Teens-and-Opioids-redd-angelo-11901-1-1.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-25 00:00:002022-05-12 11:11:24What You Should Know About Teens and Opioids
Thousands of children will soon make the transition from preschool or home to kindergarten. Some children will look forward to this moment with great anticipation, but others may experience some anxiety about leaving familiar surroundings. Regardless of how your child is feeling, parents play a powerful role in helping make the transition a smooth one.Timing Is EverythingNow is the time to begin emotionally preparing your child (and yourself) for this new phase in life.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/WaystoPrepareYourChildforKindergarten.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-25 00:00:002023-01-30 13:17:37Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten
Sleep hygiene impacts all areas of your child's life.
Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night and checked for email or text messages? If so, chances are good that your kids have, too.The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 2014 Poll revealed interesting findings when it comes to families and their sleep patterns. Of those surveyed:89% of adults and 75% of children have at least one electronic device in their bedrooms.
Think back to summers when you were a kid. You might recall getting up, doing a few chores and then heading outside to play, only taking a break for lunch. Your mom or dad’s call for dinner was probably met with complaints about coming inside.In an informal survey of adults about their childhood summer memories, people recalled catching fireflies, climbing trees, fishing and playing outside with friends.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/SummerScreenTimeOrMemories.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-15 00:00:002022-05-13 11:11:52Summer: Screen Time or Memories
Connecting with each other doesn't require a device.
Do you remember when the only television at home was in the family room? Or when your family traveled in the car and everybody looked for license plates from all 50 states? Now, practically every vehicle has a DVD player and every home has several televisions.
Working on an action plan together can ease the transition.
In addition to sending her own two sons to college, Rose-Marie Hippler helps hundreds of families get ready for the college sendoff."Having been through this personally as well as professionally, I bring experience and expertise to parents and their young adults as they leap into the next phase of life," says Hippler, who has a master's of social work and is an independent educational consultant at Winter Park College Consultants."There are usually a lot of emotions stirring a…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Sending-Your-Child-to-College-1.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-14 00:00:002022-06-14 17:28:10A Checklist for Sending Your Child to College
Mealtimes are opportunities to connect and learn from each other.
For more than 40 years, Lynn and Pat Panter have been hosting family dinner on Sundays."It's funny, this is just something we have always done," says Lynn Panter. "When our children were little, we had Sunday dinner. As they got older, we kept on doing it.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/The-Value-of-Family-Meals-1.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-14 00:00:002022-05-20 11:42:28The Value of Family Meals
Make your family stronger by sharing what you know about each other.
Do you know where your grandparents grew up, where your parents went to school or how they met and fell in love? Do you remember sitting around the dinner table or hearing extended family sharing stories about the past, perhaps over the holidays? Stories like, “When I was your age, we walked five miles uphill in the snow to get to school.”Although this information might have seemed frivolous and useless at the time, you might want to rethink the importance of those stories at extende…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Teaching-Family-History.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-12 00:00:002022-05-20 13:27:53Teaching Family History
Knowing what to look for can help keep your young adult safe.
The former professional athlete sat in the therapist’s office, sobbing. He and his wife had taken away their daughter’s cellphone the day before. While watching television that night, a picture of the boy their daughter was “talking” to popped up.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/love-shouldnt-hurt-1.png9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-12 00:00:002022-05-20 14:00:19Love Shouldn’t Hurt: Teen Dating Abuse
You can help your child be more excited and less anxious about school.
Every fall, children head back to school. While some will be going for the first time, others will be making the transition to a new grade or perhaps even a new school.Transitioning into a new school year can be exciting, but some children are fearful. Thoughts about new teachers, concerns over moving to a new school or anxiety about a new grade are all things your child may be thinking, but not talking about.No matter the age of your child, this is an important time of year for them.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/5-ways-you-can-prepare-for-a-great-school-year.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-12 00:00:002022-05-25 15:06:045 Ways You Can Prepare for a Great School Year
When Barbara Dafoe Whitehead was a girl, her father gave her some rules for selecting a husband.He should be a man of good character and conscience.He should be a man who will make a good father and be a good provider.The last rule was: No asthmatics. (Her father was a doctor and an asthmatic.)Dafoe Whitehead has been married to a man who exuded all of these qualities for more than 40 years. The one area in which she rebelled: her husband is an asthmatic.“Things are different now for girls…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/What-Girls-Need-to-Know-About-Successful-Marriage-alexis-chloe-feG8J8jKfZs-unsplash-1.jpg8101260Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-12 00:00:002022-05-26 11:39:11What Girls Need to Know About Successful Marriage
There is a commercial on television showing a father and his very inquisitive daughter sharing a meal together. Rapid fire, she asks why the sky is blue, why zebras have stripes, if turtles like cheese, why she has fingerprints, etc. For each question, the dad gets a little help from an insurance agent who is seated right behind him.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/when-to-talk-to-your-kids-about-sex.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-12 00:00:002022-05-26 13:21:44When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex
You can help children achieve their potential and live their best lives.
The Science of Childhood: Inside the Minds of Our Younger Selves, is a Time magazine special edition. It examines everything from understanding child development and dealing with temper tantrums to the science of play and the secrets of birth order. It’s part of an effort to help parents and other caregivers better understand how children learn and what everyone can do to help children thrive.Since 2015, the Early Childhood Coalition, which consists of 30 organizations, has been working th…
According to Dr. Kathy Koch, educator, founder of Celebrate Kids, and author of 8 Great Smarts, every person, young and old, needs to know they are smart.“Smart is a powerful word,” says Koch. “When children discover that they are smart, they are more willing to engage with all of life, including school.
Practice these caregiving principles with the kids in your sphere of influence.
Did you know…Babies can hear three months before they are born?80 percent of a child’s brain development happens in the first three years?On average, the ratio of reprimands, warnings or scolding to praise or encouragement is 12 to 1 for children in low-income families?A major study showed that by age 2, less-advantaged children were six months behind the highly-advantaged in language processing skills?During a visit to Chattanooga, Dr. Ron Ferguson, adjunct lecturer in public polic…
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/What-Every-Child-Needs-to-Learn.png9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-11 00:00:002022-06-02 11:44:26What Every Child Needs to Learn
In a Wall Street Journal article called The Divorce Generation, Susan Gregory Thomas tells the story of her marriage. She met a guy, and they fell in love. Then, they moved in together.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/What-to-Teach-Kids-About-Marriage.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-11 00:00:002022-08-05 09:22:11What to Teach Kids About Marriage
Brooke Womack was sure there was an intruder in their house when she heard noises coming from their family room at two in the morning. In reality, it was just their toddler, Marshall, who had escaped from his bedroom and came downstairs to watch Veggie Tales."After nearly having heart failure, we told him to go back to bed," said Womack. "It is funny now, but it was not funny at the time."Walking through toddlerhood with your child can feel like a never-ending roller coaster …
Imagine walking out of your bedroom on the second floor and seeing your two-year-old climbing the outside of the staircase. That’s exactly what happened to Hal Runkel, marriage and family therapist and bestselling author of ScreamFree Parenting.“My son looked up at me with a smile on his face and said, ‘Hi Daddy!’” says Runkel. “He was over five feet off the ground.
https://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/How-to-Stop-Yelling-at-Your-Kids.jpg9001400Julie Baumgardnerhttps://courses.firstthings.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ftf-logo-300x186.pngJulie Baumgardner2017-09-11 00:00:002022-05-27 10:19:14How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids
Why Fathers Matter
Dr. Warren Farrell, psychologist and author of Father Child Reunion, was intrigued with why children with active fathers do so well. In an attempt to better understand it, he spent more than a decade analyzing worldwide research.“I knew when I started this research that dads were important, but I had no idea how important,” says Farrell.
Kids Need Their Daddy
The pressures of fatherhood are great. On any given day, balancing work and family, finances and discipline usually rank at the top of the issue list. For years, our culture has told men that being a good provider equates to being a good dad.
What You Should Know About Teens and Opioids
Dr. Nita Shumaker, pediatrician and president of the Tennessee Medical Association, is on a mission. When she’s not seeing patients, she’s spreading the word about the danger of opioid use and its impact on people everywhere.“There were 64,000 deaths in the U.S.
Ways to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten
Thousands of children will soon make the transition from preschool or home to kindergarten. Some children will look forward to this moment with great anticipation, but others may experience some anxiety about leaving familiar surroundings. Regardless of how your child is feeling, parents play a powerful role in helping make the transition a smooth one.Timing Is EverythingNow is the time to begin emotionally preparing your child (and yourself) for this new phase in life.
Kids are Losing Sleep
Have you ever awakened in the middle of the night and checked for email or text messages? If so, chances are good that your kids have, too.The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) 2014 Poll revealed interesting findings when it comes to families and their sleep patterns. Of those surveyed:89% of adults and 75% of children have at least one electronic device in their bedrooms.
Summer: Screen Time or Memories
Think back to summers when you were a kid. You might recall getting up, doing a few chores and then heading outside to play, only taking a break for lunch. Your mom or dad’s call for dinner was probably met with complaints about coming inside.In an informal survey of adults about their childhood summer memories, people recalled catching fireflies, climbing trees, fishing and playing outside with friends.
How Technology Affects Families
Do you remember when the only television at home was in the family room? Or when your family traveled in the car and everybody looked for license plates from all 50 states? Now, practically every vehicle has a DVD player and every home has several televisions.
A Checklist for Sending Your Child to College
In addition to sending her own two sons to college, Rose-Marie Hippler helps hundreds of families get ready for the college sendoff."Having been through this personally as well as professionally, I bring experience and expertise to parents and their young adults as they leap into the next phase of life," says Hippler, who has a master's of social work and is an independent educational consultant at Winter Park College Consultants."There are usually a lot of emotions stirring a…
The Value of Family Meals
For more than 40 years, Lynn and Pat Panter have been hosting family dinner on Sundays."It's funny, this is just something we have always done," says Lynn Panter. "When our children were little, we had Sunday dinner. As they got older, we kept on doing it.
Teaching Family History
Do you know where your grandparents grew up, where your parents went to school or how they met and fell in love? Do you remember sitting around the dinner table or hearing extended family sharing stories about the past, perhaps over the holidays? Stories like, “When I was your age, we walked five miles uphill in the snow to get to school.”Although this information might have seemed frivolous and useless at the time, you might want to rethink the importance of those stories at extende…
Love Shouldn’t Hurt: Teen Dating Abuse
The former professional athlete sat in the therapist’s office, sobbing. He and his wife had taken away their daughter’s cellphone the day before. While watching television that night, a picture of the boy their daughter was “talking” to popped up.
5 Ways You Can Prepare for a Great School Year
Every fall, children head back to school. While some will be going for the first time, others will be making the transition to a new grade or perhaps even a new school.Transitioning into a new school year can be exciting, but some children are fearful. Thoughts about new teachers, concerns over moving to a new school or anxiety about a new grade are all things your child may be thinking, but not talking about.No matter the age of your child, this is an important time of year for them.
What Girls Need to Know About Successful Marriage
When Barbara Dafoe Whitehead was a girl, her father gave her some rules for selecting a husband.He should be a man of good character and conscience.He should be a man who will make a good father and be a good provider.The last rule was: No asthmatics. (Her father was a doctor and an asthmatic.)Dafoe Whitehead has been married to a man who exuded all of these qualities for more than 40 years. The one area in which she rebelled: her husband is an asthmatic.“Things are different now for girls…
When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex
There is a commercial on television showing a father and his very inquisitive daughter sharing a meal together. Rapid fire, she asks why the sky is blue, why zebras have stripes, if turtles like cheese, why she has fingerprints, etc. For each question, the dad gets a little help from an insurance agent who is seated right behind him.
5 Basics for Childhood Learning
The Science of Childhood: Inside the Minds of Our Younger Selves, is a Time magazine special edition. It examines everything from understanding child development and dealing with temper tantrums to the science of play and the secrets of birth order. It’s part of an effort to help parents and other caregivers better understand how children learn and what everyone can do to help children thrive.Since 2015, the Early Childhood Coalition, which consists of 30 organizations, has been working th…
8 Ways Kids Are Smart
According to Dr. Kathy Koch, educator, founder of Celebrate Kids, and author of 8 Great Smarts, every person, young and old, needs to know they are smart.“Smart is a powerful word,” says Koch. “When children discover that they are smart, they are more willing to engage with all of life, including school.
What Every Child Needs to Learn
Did you know…Babies can hear three months before they are born?80 percent of a child’s brain development happens in the first three years?On average, the ratio of reprimands, warnings or scolding to praise or encouragement is 12 to 1 for children in low-income families?A major study showed that by age 2, less-advantaged children were six months behind the highly-advantaged in language processing skills?During a visit to Chattanooga, Dr. Ron Ferguson, adjunct lecturer in public polic…
What to Teach Kids About Marriage
In a Wall Street Journal article called The Divorce Generation, Susan Gregory Thomas tells the story of her marriage. She met a guy, and they fell in love. Then, they moved in together.
Toddlers
Brooke Womack was sure there was an intruder in their house when she heard noises coming from their family room at two in the morning. In reality, it was just their toddler, Marshall, who had escaped from his bedroom and came downstairs to watch Veggie Tales."After nearly having heart failure, we told him to go back to bed," said Womack. "It is funny now, but it was not funny at the time."Walking through toddlerhood with your child can feel like a never-ending roller coaster …
How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids
Imagine walking out of your bedroom on the second floor and seeing your two-year-old climbing the outside of the staircase. That’s exactly what happened to Hal Runkel, marriage and family therapist and bestselling author of ScreamFree Parenting.“My son looked up at me with a smile on his face and said, ‘Hi Daddy!’” says Runkel. “He was over five feet off the ground.
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