How to Ruin Your Child’s Free Time (In Five Easy Steps)

Last updated on: February 13, 2019 at 6:46 pm By Sarah Hamaker

In this week’s video blog, I give five easy steps for parents to follow to ruin their children’s free time. Whether it’s an unexpected snow day, spring break, summer vacation or a Saturday, we can make sure our kids have highly structured, educational time not to themselves. Plus I include how NOT to ruin your child’s free time. Make everything about education. Be involved. Be very involved. Curb those free-range tendencies. Become their cruise director. Let their imaginations atrophy. By... Read more

10 Things You Should Know About Generation Z

Last updated on: January 25, 2019 at 9:56 pm By Sarah Hamaker

The following is an excerpt from my interview with Patti Garibay on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” Patti Garibay is the founder and executive director of the national character development organization, American Heritage Girls (AHG). Over her tenure with American Heritage Girls, she has been featured in hundreds of nationally recognized media outlets, including Fox News, In the Market with Janet Parshall, Family Life Today, Up for Debate, Axis’ Parenting Teen Summit, FamilyLife Radio, TIME Magazine, and The New York... Read more

Love the Heart Of Your Difficult Child

Last updated on: February 8, 2019 at 8:52 pm By Sarah Hamaker

By guest blogger Lisa Brown As a parent coach, I often hear parents describe their child as one who doesn’t come when called, comply when given instructions, throws an attitude when doesn’t get his or her way, and gets angry when told no. Parents are challenged by their child’s explosive emotions and arguing. When parents come to me for Coaching, they are usually at the end of their rope. They are exhausted and overwhelmed. My coaching strength is to help... Read more

Helping Your Kids Discover Their Anger Cues

Last updated on: January 25, 2019 at 9:32 pm By Sarah Hamaker

The following is an excerpt from my interview with Dr. Scott Turansky on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” Dr. Scott Turansky is the co-founder of the National Center for Biblical Parenting. He holds two masters degrees from Western Conservative Baptist Seminary in Portland Oregon. He also has a doctorate in organizational management and strategic planning from Fuller Theological Seminary. He’s married to Carrie, and has five children and four grandchildren. Scott has been a pastor for more than 30 years.... Read more

What Moms Can Learn From Dads

Last updated on: January 31, 2019 at 1:01 am By Sarah Hamaker

For some strange reason, a rivalry has sprung up among parents as to which one is better at raising kids–Mom or Dad. Unfortunately, this has triggered arguments and angst, as moms try to get dad to do things “her” way and dads stay content to be regulated as “buddy” to their children. In this week’s video blog, I give four things moms can learn from dads. Trivia is just trivia. It is the thought that counts. The boring stuff can... Read more

Encouraging Kids to Work Hard

Last updated on: January 21, 2019 at 9:45 pm By Sarah Hamaker

The following is an excerpt from my interview with Jamie Sumner on my podcast, “You’ve Got This.” Jamie Sumner is the author of Unbound, a nonfiction book on parenting, and the forthcoming middle-grade novel Roll With It (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster). She has also written for the New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as other publications. She lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee. Jamie has a son, Charlie, with cerebral palsy, and boy/girl twins. How do you... Read more

Overcoming Discouragement in Raising Kids

Last updated on: January 19, 2019 at 8:10 pm By Sarah Hamaker

By Guest Blogger Lisa Brown Are you feeling discouraged as a parent? Here’s what a discouraged parent may look like, and what things parents tend to get discouraged about. At last, I’ll suggest ideas for you to consider. It’s my hope that you will overcome feelings of discouragement as I describe a perspective on parenting that has helped others and myself. You are not alone if you are feeling discouraged. What does discouragement look like? Discouragement in Raising Kids Parents... Read more

7 Ways to Encourage Your Child’s Faith

Last updated on: January 19, 2019 at 7:39 pm By Sarah Hamaker

As Christian parents, we firmly believe that one of the most important jobs we have is teaching our four children about our faith. For centuries, parents regularly engaged in the practice of systematically teaching their children biblical truths, often from manuals of Christian doctrine called catechisms. But that formal way of educating our children fell out of favor gradually, and today, many Christian families don’t have any form of regular teaching to pass on to their children the essential elements... Read more

So You Want a Disobedient Child

Last updated on: January 9, 2019 at 1:02 am By Sarah Hamaker

In this week’s video blog, I discuss four easy ways to create a disobedient child: don’t mean what you say, ignore wrongdoing, especially in public; be inconsistent with discipline; and feel guilty about hurting their feelings. Read more

Life Lessons in the Mess

Last updated on: January 12, 2019 at 12:40 am By Sarah Hamaker

The following is an excerpt from my interview with Lori Wildenberg on my podcast, You’ve Got This. Don’t we want our life to be neat and not messy? Lori: When we first start having kiddos, we think that if we follow a certain formula it will surely work out properly. But life is lived in the unexpected, isn’t it? And our kids are little humans with human frailties and human strong willed, just like we are. So life gets a... Read more