Parenting is never boring. There is always some new thing to enjoy or challenge to tackle. And while the parental climate is always changing from one stage of your child's life to the next, there are 12 truths about parenting that remain constant. First, parenting is "heart work." It's not about outward obedience; it's about the inward attitude of your child. Second, parenting requires prayer, patience and...

Many parents insist their children should not work at all. The reason? Their kid's "job" is to focus on school, sports and other activities, they say. Well, that sounds good in theory, but not in practice. All children should do some manual labor either inside or outside the home. Here are 5 reasons your child should work. First, we were all created to work and work is good. Second, work is necessary for...

Talking to your kids about sex is probably as uncomfortable for you as it is for them. But if you think it's ok to avoid that discussion—think again. The January 2011 issue of Seventeen Magazine interviewed teens for a national survey on sex, and the findings are disturbing. Teens are increasingly putting themselves at great physical and emotional risk by having pre-marital sex. And sadly, almost a fourth say...

Do you find yourself constantly telling them to brush their teeth, make their bed or pick out their clothes for the next day? If you want to encourage responsibility in your child, consider posting a chart of their daily routines in their room. List your child's name and their responsibilities for the day, then let them check off their completed tasks. You may even reward your child with a special treat if they...

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. There's a great need for loving, adoptive families. Children in the U.S., and around the world, are waiting for a family to call their own. A survey by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption found that 4 out of 10 adults have considered adopting a child, but many families don't pursue it. Misconceptions about adoption sometimes deter them from taking the next step…...

A lot of parents have a hard time telling the difference. And that's a problem. You've seen it…a mom dressed like her teenage daughter. A dad who offers his teenage son a beer while they watch the game. When mom or dad becomes a buddy, the child loses out on the most important relationship…that of parent and child. Your kids have plenty of friends, what they need from you is guidance, love and boundaries. They...

I was playing the simulated military game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 with my teenage son…and I'm really bad at it. The mission is to kill the bad guys or be killed. In real life, what do you do when someone takes aim at you and starts to fire? Fire back, right? Well, that's our instinct, but our call of duty is to receive the "friendly fire," and not pull the verbal trigger…even though everything in us...