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8/13/2018 August 13, 2018
 DO THIS // DRIVE TIME As you drive, ask your child to guess which way you will go by pointing in that direction. When you get where you are going, say, "Good job guessing! When we go God's way we don't have to guess if it's right because God's way is perfect!"
 MAKING THE MOST OF MEAL TIME
By Sarah Anderson We talk a lot about making the most of your family rhythm. One of the times you can leverage in your daily rhythm is meal time. Read about other times you can leverage on theparentcue.org During the younger years, meal time is a circus. As kids get older, it becomes a scheduling feat to get everyone around the table. With little to no effort, meal time can lose any potency it has fairly easily. And that means we have to fight for it. So how do we make meal time matter? To start, get around the table. Turn off the TV. Leave your phones on the counter. And start talking. The goal of this time to establish your family values. Begin by deciding (with your spouse, if you’re married) three values you want to focus on that represent your family. Maybe your kids developing a faith of their own is a given, so think of three other character-based things to complement their faith. Do you want to be a family that celebrates respect? Honesty? Fun? Connection? Communication? Sports? Intelligence? Picking your top three doesn’t mean you don’t see the importance of other values. It just means you are going to work to elevate these three things. Then, use your time at the table to celebrate these things. Read more about how to make the most of meal time . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 8/6/2018 August 6, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you go in your child's room this month, say, "Good morning! I see someone Mommy loves and Daddy loves and (name people who your child knows) and God loves! God loves you SO much!"
 HOW TO BE OKAY WHEN YOUR
BABY GOES TO SCHOOL By Sarah Anderson I’ve never had my whole life flash before my eyes, but the morning we pulled up to the school for my oldest child’s first day of kindergarten, my son’s whole life flashed before my eyes. His baby fuzz and wrist rolls suddenly gave way to little boy knobs and angles. Just like that. Asher walked confidently and assuredly up the sidewalk and towards his classroom. I wrapped him in a hug, got my kiss, then he turned to face this new frontier, and it hit me. He was okay. More than okay. And I, well, I wasn’t. Luckily, I dropped him off and got back to my car without melting into a puddle of tears. Part of that was due to the excess of tears already cried in expectation of this moment. But it was also because that day I started to realize how I handled this milestone didn’t just matter for me. It mattered for him. I started to see how I behave communicates what I believe is true about the world he’s heading into . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/30/2018 July 30, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, thank You for loving us so much You gave us Your Son, Jesus, to be our friend forever. I pray [child's name] will never forget how much [he/she] is loved by You. In Jesus' name, amen."
 WHAT YOU SHOULD BE STRIVING
FOR AS A PARENT By Jeff Brodie There are no perfect parents, and there are no perfect kids. So what is the ideal family? What should be our goal? When I look at my family, there is a tension between what is real and what is ideal. While I should be a patient parent, I can find myself making mistakes and pulling my hair out every day. God sets out some great ideals for us as parents. How do we handle the tension between what’s real and what’s ideal? The answer: We take our cues from a God who models this for us. One of the mysteries of God is his ability to hold up ideals for me to aim towards, but to hold out his arms with grace because He knows I won’t always meet them—all with the goal of seeing me grow in my faith as a person and a parent. You’ll never be a perfect parent, but you can strive for what’s best, while understanding that God is ready to forgive and walk alongside you every step of the way . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/23/2018 July 23, 2018
 DO THIS // BATH TIME For bath time, cut a new kitchen sponge into the shape of a heart. When you place the sponge in the water say, "Water goes in." When you squeeze the sponge say, "Water comes out." As your child plays with the sponge say, "When we say God's words over and over, the words go in our heart."
 PARENTING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO EMPTY
By Amy Fenton I’m a single mom, managing 3 kids, trying to take care of my house, the bills, the food, our schedules. I work full time, plus side jobs, and I often find myself parenting dangerously close to empty. I am reminded of a few principles from the book Leading on Empty that resonate in my parenting, that I want to share. KNOW WHAT FILLS YOUR TANK AND WHAT DRAINS IT. Make a list of “Fill” and “Drain” items. Our life, our very soul, has to be filled up in order to pour out. If I were to keep driving my car way past empty, my car would stall. If I only put 3 gallons of gas in each time I stopped to fill it, I wouldn’t make it very far. We are the same way. Are you putting less in than your giving out? . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/16/2018 July 16, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, Your Word says in Psalm 5:3 that 'In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice' (NIV). We want to thank You for listening to us when we talk to You. I pray [child's name] will grow up talking to you, believing that you hear everything [he/she] says. In Jesus' name, amen."
 PASSING DOWN A FAITH-FILLED LIFE,
NOT A TRIAL-FREE LIFE By Courtney DeFeo I’ve watched my kids hurt many times and it stinks. My knee-jerk reaction is to protect, hover, block, or tackle—basically do anything to prevent my children from feeling pain. The same goes with their faith. I want them to fall in love with Jesus and never walk away, while at the same time never experience hardship. And then I realize I love them too much to desire a trial-free life. Because I remember my biggest moments of personal and spiritual growth were during my trials. Bringing faith to life in our home is a great privilege. I’m encouraged that we don’t have to have a perfect life to pass down a faith-filled life. God has got this. Our role is to simply teach our kids what we already know and to continue learning and sharing more day by day as we grow . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 7/2/2018 July 2, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you go in your child's room this month say, "Good morning, [child's name]! It's morning time. God loves us in the morning time, night time, ALL the time!"
 HOW TO FIND REFRESHMENT IN THE
MIDDLE OF SUMMER By Sarah Bragg Think back to what summer was like before you were a grownup. Do you remember the glory of it? Summers used to be about recharging. Taking time off from the daily grind in order to come back refreshed. I think the people who need refreshment the most are parents, yet it’s sometimes most difficult for parents to find it. Instead, you find yourself just trying to hold on to your sanity as you try to figure out how to entertain your kids while school’s out. You become a constant referee in sibling warfare and get lost in a never-ending state of laundry (how do they wear so many clothes)? And if you hear “I’m bored” one more time, you may lock yourself in a closet. Summer comes and goes quickly. And much like a hurricane, your emotional, spiritual and relational state of being can be tossed around and left in a state of destruction by the time school starts again. That’s why it’s important to think about how to safeguard your soul. Here’s your challenge: . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 6/25/2018 June 25, 2018
 DO THIS // BATH TIME As you bathe your child, read the directions on the shampoo, conditioner and bathwash bottles to him/her each time you use one of them. Talk about how the directions tell you the way to wash. Tell your child that God gave us a book that tells us the way to go. "What book did God give us? The Bible!"
 MAKING THE MOST OF DRIVE TIME
By Sarah Anderson For a lot of parents, and for a lot of kids, drive time is a necessary evil we have to endure before arriving at our final destination: the grandparents house, the soccer game, the carpool line, the grocery store, church, or wherever else. But drive time can become an opportunity when we infuse meaning into the every day moments we have with our kids. When you think about it, time in the car is packed full of potential. You are literally stuck in the same space with your kids as you drive from point A to point B. But this doesn’t have to be a death sentence. In fact, if you turn down the radio, turn off the DVD player, and use it as a time to connect with your kids, you may find yourself wishing for more . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 6/18/2018 June 18, 2018
 DO THIS // CUDDLE TIME Cuddle up with your child this month and pray, "Dear God, I pray [child's name] will grow up loving the Bible and letting it tell [him/her] the way to go. We know Your way is always the best way. We love You, God. In Jesus' name, amen."
 WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT BEING A DAD FROM BEING CLUELESS By Geoff Surratt Father’s Day always reminds me of my first day as a father. It was a glorious moment, my wife glowing, the angels singing, my perfect little child, cooing and cradled in my arms. Except that is not at all how it happened. After an intense labor, the doctor handed me a screaming bundle of kicking arms and legs, an unfamiliar creature with a striking resemblance to Yoda. I loved the idea of a son, but I had no idea what to do with the squirming baby I was awkwardly holding and silently wondered if I could get my money back. Though it has been a challenging ride, now my kids are grown, I wouldn’t trade being a father for anything. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way: The best you can do is the best you can do God chose you to parent your children. He knows you are goofy, clueless, and immature (maybe that’s just me), but He chose you anyway. You can’t be the perfect parent, or live up to the unrealistic expectations of others, all you can do is the best you can do. So do your best, and don’t worry about what anyone else is doing . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  6/11/2018 June 11, 2018
 DO THIS // DRIVE TIME As you drive, ask your child to point the way to familiar places. Ask questions like, "Do I turn here, or here?" Thank him/her for pointing the way to go. When you get where you're going, repeat Psalm 25:4 and tell him/her that God uses the Bible to point the way for us to go.
 15 MINUTES TO BEING A GREAT PARENT
By Lauren Terrell A few months ago, I found myself dreading 7am like I would a root canal because I knew it meant another 12-hour struggle with my daughter who wanted my attention at Every. Single. Waking. Moment. That’s when I came up with The Fun Fifteen. I knew I was missing out on a relationship with this daughter I loved so much because of our competing ideas of fun. So I began to wonder, “If I give in and dedicate 15 minutes of my undivided attention to her every day, doing what she wants to do, would she still be so desperate for my attention?” . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG 6/4/2018 June 4, 2018
 DO THIS // MORNING TIME When you go into your child's room this month say, "Good morning! I see something wonderful God made. It's YOU! God loves you so much and so does [mommy/daddy]. You are SO loved!"
 MAKING MOMENTS ON PURPOSE By Carlos Whittaker I’ve heard it said that life is sprinting past us. I used to believe that. Until one day I stopped to look at a roly poly on the ground with my 4-year-old son. He was absolutely mesmerized by this thing. And, I was mesmerized by him being mesmerized. I remember almost walking right by him to continue with some important grown up task. “DAD! LOOK! YOU HAVE TO LOOK!” So I got down on my belly, eye-level with that tiny insect. I was suddenly floored. Every single time my son touched that thing, it would roll into the most perfect circle I had ever seen. We laid on our bellies for almost 25 minutes playing with that thing. When I got up, I was all but ready to become president of the World Roly Poly Association. It was that amazing. A ROLY POLY! It was then that I realized the statement my generation loved to spit out, “Life is sprinting past us.” was wrong. We were actually sprinting past life. And, that was the day I decided to stop and live and be more intentional with them moments we have together as a family . . . CONTINUE READING ON THE PARENT CUE BLOG  |
