Reader, do you know the definition of the word ‘chiaroscuro’? If you look in the dictionary, you will find that it means the arrangement of light and dark, darkness and light together. Let me tell you a few things you already know: Sometimes light and darkness take up residence in the same heart. Sometimes those who [...]

Father of perfect discipline,   Give me a heart that loves mercy more than being right, that loves grace more than law and compassion more than control. Help me not to feel guilt when the discipline is right. Help me to discipline rightly. How many times — knowing you were watching, knowing good and well that [...]

“Are there real fairies in the world?” I looked up from the mushrooms I was chopping to study my five-year-old daughter’s face. The cock of her head and squint of her eyes matched the skepticism in her voice. Not long ago, a Christian man who my daughter loves told her that fairies don’t exist. She’s [...]

Last week our neighborhood lost power for a day. All day long I walked into dark rooms and flipped light switches out of habit. I’m not accustomed to operating in the dark. As the hours passed, I began to worry about all the food we could lose in the refrigerator. No one was allowed to [...]

Children are great givers. Oh, they’re takers at times, too (aren’t we all?), but time and again the children in my life have astonished me with their willingness to give sacrificially. And as we stand on the threshold of Advent, we have some great opportunities to celebrate and encourage that beautiful inclination of their young [...]

Two weeks ago I went grocery shopping with fifteen stickers on my face. The night before, news had come. It was news about someone I love – the kind of news that etches a mark on your timeline, dividing life before from life after. I was devastated. I woke up the next morning full of [...]

The little people in your life may be different ages than mine, but I’ll bet my to-do list rings a bell anyway: Prepare meals Trick your kids into eating them Hunt for what’s missing Fix what’s broken Spread art supplies on table Clean art supplies off floor Find the source of the smell Shoe little [...]

Spontaneity doesn’t come naturally to me. My mind is linear and logical, sometimes to a fault. I live in the realm of the practical. Flying by the seat of my pants just makes me woozy. Children do not understand this. To them, life is all imagination, curiosity, and magic. This makes a simple thing like [...]

My kids and I saw quite a sight at the library the other day. It was an impressive display of mimicry and showboating by a rather cocky young fellow on the rooftop patio. He strutted around with his chest puffed out, trying to impress a girl. He was unabashed in his affection for her. She [...]

Last week’s Olympics post focused on having fun with the Games as a family. But the world’s biggest competition can show us more than just humanity’s highest jumpers and fastest swimmers. In the midst of the gold-medal frenzy, the Olympics give us plenty of material for helping kids to understand the importance of losing. Losing [...]