End of School Year: How to Prepare for the Next Phase
By Leah Jennings
"School may be out for your kids, but it's a perfect time to lean into new ways to support them as they grow, change, and enter into new phases...Your kids will not be the same next school year--their needs will be different, their worldview will change, and the way they see themselves and others will undergo a transformation...So, instead of getting caught by surprise when your kid morphs into someone completely different,...you can equip yourself now with the tools you'll need to make sure your kid is living in an environment that is safe for them to explore, make mistakes, and test boundaries." This article gives simple, age-specific tips on embracing the changes your child will experience this summer.
4 Tips to Make the Most of Summer for Kids
By Becca Harris
"Parents, you did it! You made it through another school year and summer is here! Goodbye crazy morning routine, goodbye homework, goodbye strict schedules, and hellllllooooo freedom! But we all know how summer goes. The first few weeks are like bliss: camps, relaxed schedules, visits to the pool, vacation, trips to grandma's house, etc. But then as the summer goes on and all the fun trips are over, it is 1000 degrees, the pools all feel like hot bath water, and before we know it school starts back up again and we wonder if we wasted it." This article gives fun and meaningful ways your family can both make the most of summer break and grow closer to God as a family.
Raising a Kind Person
By Reggie Joiner
"So how kind have your kids been lately? That is one of the goals as a parent right? Along with a good education, health, financial autonomy, faith in God, you hope your kids will be nice, at least some of the time. That's because most of us believe life in general just works better when everyone is treating each other kinder. It definitely makes your home a little more pleasant...But there is one big reason you should remind your kids to be kind...God! The idea that we are made in the image of God should be a compelling reason to teach kids they should be kind." This article gives conversation starters to talk about as a family to help remind you and your child that God calls us to be kind to everyone.
5 Enemies of Fatherhood
By BJ Foster
"The hard part about going to a higher level {of your role as dad} is it takes dedication, focus, hard work, and a willingness to change. We need to be confronted with our weaknesses and have the humility to own and deal with them...You can define 'enemies' in a lot of different ways, but we'll define them as the things that keep us from being better versions of ourselves. When I think about my enemies as a dad, it's those things that keep me from being the man my kids need--the things that take me away from what makes a great dad." This article is a great reminder of how you can be the best dad (or mom!) you can be.
Confident Parenting: Barefoot before the perfect Father
By Jenna Marie Masters
"Apparently, there's a crack in my parenting...The admission slipped out in a single breath: Jesus, there are so many holes in my parenting. His Spirit whipped back sharp and clear: It's OK. I can make them holy. God isn't surprised that I'm not a perfect mom...But He can replace my anxiety with peace, exhaustion with a renewed mind, and frustration with joy. For this to happen, however, I need to give up my parental rights and hand them over to the perfect Father. There are areas in the hearts of my children that I can't reach, no matter how hard I strain. The tears I don't see. The pain they don't share. The lies they believe. The innocence I can't protect. These places...are holy ground. They must be set apart for the Lord. There is freedom when we learn to surrender our children to the perfect Father." This great article is a reminder of the importance of entrusting your child to God and the grace He gives when you rely on Him.
While we support the information given in each article linked above, the views presented in the overall blogs or websites are not necessarily the views held by FBC Amarillo or the FBC Amarillo Children's Ministry.