Life Library — Child Rearing

Life Ministry   •   The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

• All Those Glowing Rectangles — Screens make it hard for us to concentrate on real people and experiences, they disrupt our natural rhythms of rest, and they can be disruptive in other ways. Technology is a blessing when used carefully.
  
  
• A Mother’s Prayer — Monica never quit praying for her son. God’s answer overwhelmed her.
  
  
• A New Look at Family Devotions — Do you struggle over family devotions? Maybe some new ideas will help. The goal is to have fun while learning about and sharing God’s love. After all, “A cheerful look brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones” (Prov. 15:30).
  
  
• Birth Plans — As America’s birth rate wanes, our societal fixation on the gestational trimesters, infant milestones and childhood “firsts” increases exponentially.
  
  
• Controlling the Influence of the Media — The article provides steps to help control the influence of the media in our homes.
  
  
• Getting It Together With Your Family — Families need to be prepared and equipped for the high points and struggles of daily life, as well as the times of crisis. By making a commitment to one another to keep Christ at the center, your family will be better able to weather the storms life may bring.
  
  
• Holy Mashed Banana Gunk! — Raising children is holy and blessed work.
  
  
• How to Talk With Your Children — The first duty of love is to listen. When we really listen to a child, our compassion helps us sense the youngster’s needs, anxieties, joys and sorrows as if they were our own.
  
  
• Jolt Junkies — Many parents are accustomed to a constant complaint litany from bored children. Have kids always been so easily bored? Have there always been so many antsy kids who can’t sit still in a classroom? There is no doubt that a major cause is the impact of mass media on kids.
  
  
• The Gift of Children — Children are not only a gift to their parents but also to the world. God desires that all children come to know the grace and mercy of Christ Jesus.
  
  
• The Meaning of the Presence of Children — “It is my aim here to explore the venture of parenthood … from within the perspective of Christian faith — which has, after all, been one of the principal sources of our culture’s formation on this question, but which … may help to point us in the direction of a true humanism.”
  
  
• Three Worldviews Parents Need to Confront — A review of common contemporary challenges to a Christian worldview along with takeaways for parents seeking to confront them.
  
  
• Ten Things Toddlers Wish They Could Tell You — Tips for helping your young child or grandchild grow spiritually, socially and emotionally.
  
  
• Ten Things Your Teen Won’t Tell You — One of the most difficult tasks facing parents today is keeping the lines of communication open with their adolescent children. No longer “children” in the narrow sense of the word and not quite adults either, adolescents are often a mystery to their parents (as well as to themselves).
  
  
• Ten Ways to Give the Greatest Gift — What is the greatest gift you can give your child? Perhaps this hint from God’s Word helps: “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36). The greatest gift Christian parents can give their children is what you might call “soul food.”
  
  
• Your Children in Church — It can be hard to keep your children occupied in church. Included are tips for making worship more meaningful for them — and for you.