can seem overwhelming, especially to
parents of children. As Frederick Douglass
to repair broken men." Here is some advice for
building strong children today.
by putting God's Word on display in your
and help your children to do the same. Model behavior
for your children by letting God save you utterly and
completely. (One website with an abundance of child-
friendly Bible verses is www.bibleparent.com.)
ask if they have ever seen pictures of sex.
God impossible. The four-letter word is more powerful
than the three letter one. Share what love means to
you. Show love in your family. Have them tell you
what love is. Their answer will reveal if their idea of
love is centered on themselves or on others.
family, a church family.
Father, especially if they are children of divorce. A
major resiliency factor (something that neutralizes
risk factors in a child's life) is a close relationship with
at least one adult. Other important resiliency factors
are regular church attendance and deep personal
faith. Divorce and single parenting are tough, but
don't give up; with God all things are possible.
games (30 minutes a day is reasonable) or stay seden-
tary in front of screens, as this can lead to anti-social
games and TV might seem boring, but life without
friends or hobbies is no life at all.
tive behavior like fighting or vandalism. Second, help
them solve the problem causing the anger. After all,
anger does not make problems go away, it just makes
people go away. If children don't learn to deal with
the causes at the root of their anger, acting out can
become a habit that lasts a lifetime, so it is vital to
help them find emotional balance and wellbeing.
raphies and autobiographies of admirable men and
women, from Abraham Lincoln to Malala Yousafzai.
Books can enable children to find their passions and
future careers and to aspire to do good in the world.
As you help your children find God's vision for their
future, pray together for guidance.
the Lord's Prayer; then help your children find one
or more prayer partners. Children who do not pray
with others are not as likely to pray on their own.
The website www.teachustopray.com is helpful.