Music—it’s always a battle. Even for little kids.
Kidz Bop. Seems innocent, right? Kids singing popular songs on the radio. But Amy is a mom who wrote to us, saying, “Kidz Bop. Cleaned up versions of pop music. My daughter is listening to this at her after-school day care. She now thinks she likes Nicki Minaj.” Not a good role model, for sure. Well, even though the music is cleaned up and probably fine, the reality is kids are curious and will want to know the original singers. That’s why we have Keys for Kids Radio at KeysForKids.net—full-time Christian radio just for kids 4 to 14. It’s music that’ll point kids to Christ, but it also introduces them to quality role models. Give it a try. Listen to Keys for Kids Radio at https://radio.keysforkids.org/
What about sleepovers?
Sleepovers. These can be pressure-filled events. There are a lot of families who have taken the safe route: no sleepovers—ever. Why? Well, here are five reasons from Famifi.com (formerly FamilyShare.com).1 (1) “No one needs to sleep at anyone’s house but their own.” A lot can happen after the parent goes to bed. (2) “You don’t know people as well as you think you do.” (3) “Nothing good ever happens in the wee hours of the night.” Bullying, truth or dare, pranking, and more can get out of control. (4) “Why…put yourself in a position to be wrongfully accused” of inappropriate behavior? Kids have done that, and it could ruin your life. (5) “Sleepovers should be for very close family, in special circumstances,” because even some relatives don’t have the same values as we do. 1 This Parent Minute is based on “6 Reasons You Should Never Let Your Kids Have Sleepovers” by Gina Holt, Famifi.com
They grow up so fast!
It seems like just yesterday we were saying goodbye to our kindergartner. I remember those elementary years as precious. Less stress. Our kids had great friends. And we had fewer distractions with athletics or other extracurricular activities. Christy wrote in and asked, “How do we help our child transition from elementary to junior high/middle school?” First, we need to talk our kids through it, reminding them they’ll have different teachers every hour. Their bodies will start changing. Hormones will rage, and, typically, friends change. But it’s important to tell them that God is in control. He’s going to use it to help them grow into fine God-fearing adults. If we encourage them to take on this challenge with a friend, that’ll help make all the difference in the world.
Sibling rivalry can be a silent problem.
We have four kids. When they were younger, sibling rivalry was pretty intense. All but one are adults now, but it’s still there. Even in the most loving families, sibling rivalry exists. Each of our kids either thinks they don’t quite measure up to the other, or they believe we as parents favor one over all the others. How do we combat this? Well, we’ll never completely get to the root of the issues, but we need to make sure that each one of our kids is valued, no matter how well they respect us, do well in school, or honor our values. They’ve got to see unconditional love. Each of our kids has gifts and abilities that we need to recognize, praise, and celebrate. “As each has received a gift,” encourage them to “use it to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10, ESV).
School’s in session—the fight is on.
School. For some of us, it can be the most difficult time in our kids’ lives. Some love going. Others, well, not so much. Maybe they’re young enough where they’re saying things like, “Why do I have to go to school anyway?”—which from our perspective seems a bit silly. Rather than getting into it with our kids in THAT moment—wait. Wait until you see them doing something that REQUIRED them to learn about it in school. Maybe when they try to figure out if they have enough money to buy a candy bar or read words on a computer game. Then say, “I’m so glad you learned that in school, aren’t you?” Then point them to Proverbs 18:15: “An intelligent heart acquires knowledge” (ESV).
Bullying—a Christian response.
160,000 kids a day stay home from school because of bullying.1 According to Catherine Wilson, here are the typical targets.2These kids usually “give in easily to the aggressor’s demands,” “are unable to project an air of indifference to verbal abuse.” They are “anxious…fearful” and “emotional” about the abuse, can’t turn the conversation another direction, “have few friends,” and couldn’t fix it the first time they were attacked. Now, if our son or daughter fits this mold, we need to give them some tools to help. Train them to be more assertive. “Practice responses that project confidence and calm,” not emotional outbursts; give them verbal responses that can end the attack rather than perpetuate it. Bottom line, though, get the school involved. Most of them are willing to help. 1“A Faith-Based Response to Adolescent Bullying” by Paul Coughlin, CBN.com. 2 This Parent Minute is based on “Empowering Your Child to Deal with Bullies” by Catherine Wilson, Focus on the Family.ca
Bullies. What do we tell our kids?
Bullying has been a problem since the beginning of time, I think. We may want to have a talk with our kids about the subject. According to CBN.com, 160,000 kids a day stay home from school because of bullying. A lot of Christian parents tell their kids to ignore it—“turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).” Well, Jesus didn’t ignore it. “When Jesus was slapped…by the guard of the High Priest, He did not turn” the other cheek. He confronted him, asking the guard if He had said something wrong—but, if He spoke truth, He wanted to know why He was slapped. He “defended himself with words.” Our kids can and should do the same, not physically or with insults, but with words confronting the injustice. More tomorrow. This Parent Minute is based on “A Faith-Based Response to Adolescent Bullying” by Paul Coughlin, CBN.com.
Enduring prayers for our kids.
Is praying for your kids a priority? The last couple of days we’ve been talking about that. How do we do it effectively? These kinds of prayers agree with God’s will, are passionate, and are enduring. Today, we’re talking about enduring prayers for our kids. What does that mean? Enduring means to be patient, to be able to wait. Effective and fervent prayers are those we pray over and over again with the sincere hope God’s going to accomplish our request—like leading our kids to Christ, or that they overcome adversity, or that God will protect them from harm or evil. Make prayer for our kids a habit. I can remember getting up seeing my mom praying for me. Our habits can become their habits.
Praying for our kids in school.
Yesterday, I talked about praying for our kids. I said our prayers need to be God’s will, passionate, and enduring. How does that translate to praying for our kids in school, especially public schools? First, what is God’s will for what Scripture calls the elect? In 2 Peter 3:9, speaking to people of like precious faith, God’s “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (NKJV). We all want that for our kids, don’t we? Praying God does a spiritual work in our child’s life is important. Now, for my oldest son, it took an earth-shattering event to get his spiritual life in order. God’s still working on some of my other family members. I’m praying as if my prayers are going to make a difference. I hope you are too.
Prayer—a priority for our kids.
You’re now the proud parents of school-age kids. Let me ask you something. Are you praying for your kids? I don’t mean “Lord-be-with-Suzie-as-she-heads-off-to-school” kind of prayers. I’m talking about the kind of prayers described in James 5:16 that are fervent and effective. What do they look like? They’re prayers that agree with God’s will—that are passionate and enduring. God’s-will kind of prayers you’ll only know by being close to Him. Passionate prayers come out of desperation. And enduring prayers are those forcing us to wait. These prayers are different for everybody, so give praying for your kids more thought. Make them effective, and make praying a habit.