Family & Relationships

What does it take to raise great kids? If you've read any books on parenting, conflicting opinions have probably left you feeling confused. Get tough! Show acceptance. Lay down the rules. Lighten up, already! There's got to be a balance--and there is. Joining their expertise with the wisdom of MOPS International (Mothers of Preschoolers), Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you provide both the care and acceptance that make grace real to your child, and the firmness and discipline that give direction. Avoiding the twin extremes of permissiveness and over-control, Drs. Cloud and Townsend show how you can help your child cultivate six necessary character traits: attachment, responsibility, reality, competence, morality, and worship/spiritual life. At last, here is an effective middle ground for raising up children who will handle life with maturity and wisdom. Raising Great Kids will help you equip your son or daughter to accept life's responsibilities, grow from its challenges, and freely and fully explore all that it has to offer.

Giving your child a quality education experience for a life of happiness and purpose is possible--and it only takes four hours a day or less!  We want our kids to have the best education, but less-than-ideal school environments and concern about our kids' specific needs have parents uncertain about traditional schooling. Trusted homeschool expert with 25 years of experience homeschooling her own eight children, Durenda Wilson offers a better way and promises that you already have what it takes to give your child a healthy, successful future.  In The Four-Hour School Day, she unpacks the lifelong advantages of home education, both for the health of your family and your child's future. With inspiring stories about parents just like you, she demystifies homeschooling and addresses common fears like, what if I'm not qualified, how can I homeschool as a single parent, and what if I don't have enough time? Packed with encouragement and practical advice, this resource equips you with all the information you need to create a sustainable homeschooling plan customized to your child's needs.  Wilson will help you to: - Work with your child's interests and passions for an enjoyable learning experience - Cultivate independent learning in your child so you have more time and your child develops more curiosity - Navigate the different schooling stages your child will go through - Find an engaged community so that you can start this adventure with all the support you need.  Explore the rich and wonderful world of homeschooling because it's not only more doable than you think, but far more beneficial than you can imagine. Application questions are available in the audiobook companion PDF download.

The teen years can be challenging and even scary for parents and those involved with youth. Attitudes and behaviors of the adolescent can be unhealthy for him and for the family. However, good boundaries are the bedrock of not only better relationships, but also maturity, safety, and growth, especially for teens and their parents.

Following the wildly popular Vertical Marriage with the same charming, relatable dialogue between mom and dad, bestselling authors and national hosts of FamilyLife Today Dave and Ann Wilson dive headlong into the monumental task of parenting in the 21st century. Raising kids with hearts for Christ may be the hardest thing you ever try to do, but it's also the most important thing. Packed with funny and honest stories, compelling illustrations, biblical insight, and practical steps you can put into practice today, this hands-on parenting manual will encourage and equip every parent through any stage. Founders of a multi-campus church and family coaches with 30 years of experience, Dave and Ann share the hard-earned but easy-to-apply principles that ensure a strong parent-to-child relationship and a strong foundation for your child. You'll get a front-row seat to the multidimensional nature of parenting through a conversational back and forth between Mom and Dad and even comments from their adult sons on what worked, what didn't work, and why. An inspiring and resourceful guide, No Perfect Parents will cover essential topics like learning to discipline without losing your mind or causing more chaos, the parenting guilt trip, the teen years, and the top five parenting mistakes. For parents and couples preparing to have children, Dave and Ann offer hope and strategies that really work, and some that didn't. No Perfect Parents will let you into the real, even raw, struggles and joys of raising kids that can impact their generation in a powerful way. To get the legacy that you've been praying for, start here. Your kids will thank you later.

Prayer can be your greatest asset and source of wisdom in raising teenagers in today's world. Now expanded, this book features updated content on issues like pornography, addiction, self-harm, anxiety, rebellion, technology use, dealing with disappointment, and more. It's never been tougher to be a teen--or the parent of one. Thankfully, from your teen's first date to the next time they borrow the car keys, you can take your concerns to God through prayer. Drawing on the power of God's Word, this updated and expanded edition of Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens equips you to pray about the difficult issues your teen may face: - Relationship challenges - Doubts about their faith - Depression - Rejection - Sexual purity - Substance abuse - Eating disorders - . . . and much more This book also guides you in praying about everything from your teen's character and safety to the purposes and plans that God has for his or her future. Filled with engaging illustrations, biblical insights, and compelling prayer principles, Praying the Scriptures for Your Teens shows how to make the Bible your source for prayers that can powerfully influence your teen's life. With a grace-filled approach and a warm, personal style, author Jodie Berndt encourages you that there is not a need your teen will face that God has not already thought of, and provided for, in his Word--and that, no matter how far away our kids may be, they are never out of his reach.

In Our Mothers, Ourselves, Henry Cloud and John Townsend show how understanding how our mothers have profoundly influenced our lives can set us on a path toward wholeness and growth. No one has influenced the person you are today like your mother. The way she handled your needs as a child has shaped your worldview, your relationships, your marriage, your career, your self-image - your life. Our Mothers, Ourselves can help you identify areas that need reshaping, to make positive choices for personal change, and to establish a mature relationship with Mom today. - The Phantom Mom - The China Doll Mom - The Controlling Mom - The Trophy Mom - The Still-the-Boss Mom - The American Express Mom You'll learn how your mom affected you as a child and may still be affecting you today. Our Mothers, Ourselves is a biblical, realistic, and empowering route to wholeness and growth, to deeper and more satisfying bonds with your family, friends, and spouse - and to a new, healthier way of relating to your mother. This book was previously titled The Mom Factor.

Yes, you CAN say no to your child and still be a loving parent. Discover how boundaries make parenting better today! What the award-winning, bestselling Boundaries has done for adult relationships, Boundaries with Kids will do for you and your children. Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend provide the help and guidance you need for raising your kids to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions. With wisdom and empathy, they take you through the ins and outs of instilling the kind of character in your children that will help them lead balanced, productive, and fulfilling adult lives. Learn how to: set limits and still be a loving parent bring control to an out-of-control family life apply the ten laws of boundaries to parenting define appropriate boundaries and consequences for your kids. . . and much more! Plus, check out Boundaries family collection of books dedicated to key areas of life - dating, marriage, raising teenagers, and leadership. Workbooks and Spanish editions are also available.

If you have an adult child, you know that parenting doesn't stop when a child reaches the age of eighteen. In many ways, it gets more complicated. Both your heart and your head are as involved as ever, whether your child lives under your roof or rarely stays in contact. In Doing Life with Your Adult Children, parenting expert Jim Burns helps you navigate the toughest and the most rewarding parts of parenting your grown kids. Speaking from his own personal and professional experience, Burns offers practical answers to questions such as these: Is it OK to give advice to my grown child?What's the difference between enabling and helping?What boundaries should I have if my child moves back home?What do I do when my child doesn't seem to be maturing into adulthood?How do I relate to my grown child's significant other?What does it mean to have healthy financial boundaries?How can I support my grown children when I don't support their values?Including positive principles on bringing kids back to faith, ideas on how to leave a legacy as a grandparent, and encouragement for every changing season, Doing Life with Your Adult Children is a unique audiobook on your changing role in a calling that never ends.

This is the true story of Emily Colson, a single mother who has faced life’s toughest obstacles. This is also the story of her nineteen-year-old autistic son, Max, a young man who struggles to speak, who some professionals deemed a waste of time. But a young man with a gift. Journey with Emily through this unabridged audio download as she shows how Max unraveled the thinking of those who tried to teach him and help him, a lesson that seemingly weak people can be more powerful than the strong--including strong people like Max’s own grandfather, Chuck Colson.

Couples who are stepping on each other’s toes should try walking in each other’s shoes. Trading Places reduces conflict, deepens your commitment, and helps you live as better friends and lovers. Mutual empathy—the revolutionary tool for instantly improving a relationship—can be learned and practiced, say the authors of this groundbreaking book. Their guidance will transform your marriage.

“My six-year-old fusses with her hair for hours. Is this normal?” “Yesterday my seventh grader was all sunshine. Today she’s wearing black and won’t leave her room.” “I’m worried my teenager may have an eating disorder.”

Perfection is the enemy of parenting. Jim Daly sees and hears from mothers and fathers trying hard to pursue perfection. They listen to the best experts and read all the right books. When someone gives them a "World's Best Mom" or "Number One Dad" coffee mug, they want it to be true. And they want their children to pursue perfection, too. It's admirable for parents to be the very best moms and dads they can be for their children. But sometimes in so doing, they leave grace behind - both for themselves and for their children. Jim believes that our quest for perfection, a quest that he believes is particularly strong among Christians, runs counter to God's own boundless gift of grace. We can become Pharisaical parents, quoting endless rules and holding everyone to impossible standards. But God doesn't want us, and our kids don't need us, to be perfect. As parents we're called to simply do our best. And when we fail - which we will - we're called to try again tomorrow. Though he's the president of Focus on the Family, Jim does not promise that his book will be a catalyst for a perfect family. But it can help point the way toward a good family - one that feels safe and warm, one filled with love and laughter. This book will encourage mothers and fathers to embrace the messiness of parenthood and show grace to their own less-than-ideal children. Jim, through his own experiences, expertise, and array of stories, will lead both moms and dads to a better understanding of what being a good family is all about.

Explore the spiritual dynamics of parenting, and why caring for children is such an effective discipline in shaping our souls and forming the character of Christ within us.

You’re already establishing a track record with your kid by how you listen, by what you say when you’re angry, and by how you treat your spouse. We like to surprise parents who ask us, “When do I start talking about sex?” The answer is, you’ve already started. As difficult as talking with your child about sex, peer pressure, and self-image may seem, you can do it—and you must. Your child’s future depends on it. Fortunately, you’ve got plenty of guidance and insight available in A Chicken’s Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids about Sex.Family psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman and sexuality educator Kathy Flores Bell guide you safely along the sometimes rocky road of pubescence as your child heads toward adolescence. This practical and engaging book covers his or her development not just from the waist down, but also from the neck up, where the important decisions about sex are made. Illustrated with real life scenarios, this book is filled with practical knowledge and biblical wisdom. It is a book of firsts: first bra, first shave, first period, first nocturnal emission, first school dance, first discussion about relating to the opposite sex. A Chicken’s Guide takes on the difficult things parents face with their kids today, such as dating relationships, sexual activity and “rite of passage” attitudes, STDs, molestation, and more. Leman and Bell take you beyond sex education and frank conversations to cultivating a relationship with your child. Get ready to acquire some unanticipated life skills in the process. Moms, discover how to buy that first athletic supporter for your son in Little League. Dads, learn how to navigate the feminine hygiene aisle at the supermarket for your daughter. You’ll do more than meet your child’s physical needs. You’ll create the trust, support, and security he or she needs in your relationship. And in turn, you’ll gain a credible voice on such intimate topics as what sexual intercourse is and why to abstain from sex until marriage.With Bell’s expert yet simple knowledge of the dynamics of human sexuality and Dr. Leman’s winsome, lighthearted approach, you’ll gain confidence for those difficult but essential talks. Here are the tools you need to help your kids not only understand their growing bodies, but cope with the temptations and social pressures that go with them.