The Good, the Bad, and the Fruity: What’s Growing from Your Marriage?
Loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, self-controlled… Would you describe yourself using any of these words? Would your spouse describe you using any of these words? No doubt you recognize these words as being the fruit of the…
How to Fight Entitlement with Gratitude
My kids, who are now young adults, have occasionally given me a hard time about not allowing them to watch certain movies or TV shows when they were growing up. Too much violence? Too much bad language? Nope. Too much…
Facing a New ChalleNGe
Sometimes we have to do really hard things in parenting. Sometimes we have to give up control. Sometimes we have to recognize that we don’t have all the tools we need to help our children in certain situations, and we…
It’s a Big World After All (And Our Kids Need to See It)
As parents, we often want to shield our children from being exposed to certain influences. However, there are times when we should actually choose to intentionally expose them. And one of the ways this is done is through travel. Exposing…
Happy Campers and Teachable Moments
The first time I dropped my daughter off at an overnight camp, I left in tears. This happened pretty much every time my firstborn reached a milestone, but this time was particularly tender. She was going to be gone for…
The Wide World of Sports…and the Teachable Moments to Be Found There
Whether our kids are natural athletes or not, they can learn much about themselves and about life by taking part in team sports, even if it’s just for a short time. Sure, they’ll learn how to pass a ball, swing…
Gratitude When Others Are “Winning”…and We Aren’t
As adults, we know how bad it can feel when it seems like everyone else is winning or thriving, and we just…aren’t. This is hard for our kids, too. They might see other kids get awards and recognition, when they…
Gratitude for Talents and Abilities
Each of us is gifted in some way. It might be in sports, band, dance, drawing, painting, martial arts, choir, writing, editing, crafting, photography, memorization, storytelling, comedy, baking, sewing, woodworking, conversing, listening, gardening, knitting, decorating, problem-solving, doing magic tricks… The…
Thankfulness: 5 Tips for Teaching Our Kids to Look Beyond Themselves
An attitude of thankfulness is sometimes hard to find in our increasingly me-centered society. Attitudes of selfishness and entitlement seem to run rampant, while attitudes of service and gratefulness are often squashed or might even be considered to be weak. …
Gratitude: 30 Days of Teachable Moments
Starting November 1st — Follow the Carrie Bevell Partridge • Writer Facebook page, where I’ll be sharing ideas for incorporating teachable moments with your kids in everyday life, with an emphasis on gratitude. PLUS, if you are a subscriber, you’ll receive these Gratitude…