Category Archives: family

Great Books for Christian Parents

By Cary Schmidt | March 8, 2010

Frequently someone asks what books I would recommend on youth ministry or parenting. They are generally the same books. While there are some good books on youth ministry, the most helpful to youth ministry are those on the family. Whether you are a parent or a youth pastor, I would urge you to read everything [...]

Also posted in books and resources, student ministry | Tagged adolescence, biblical living, book review, books, family, parenting, student ministry, teaching, teen life | 5 Comments

10 Things Your Teen Won’t Tell You (Part 3)

By caryschmidt | March 4, 2010

This is the third and final part in this series of articles. Click here to read part one or part two.
7. I’m as confused as you are about my problems. The truth—when you, in frustration, ask—“What wrong with you!?” They honestly don’t know the answer. If you feel like you are confused about what’s going [...]

Posted in family | Tagged adolescence, family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | 1 Comment

10 Things Your Teen Won’t Tell You (Part 2)

By caryschmidt | March 2, 2010

This is part two of a three part series. Click here to read the first part of this article.
4. My deepest need is a sincere relationship with you. (I need time with parents.) Not only will they not say this—they won’t even admit to it or understand it. This one resides so deep in our God-given [...]

Posted in family | Tagged adolescence, family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | 1 Comment

Before You Discipline Your Child…

By caryschmidt | February 23, 2010

Discipline is a sacred thing. Too often we parents take discipline too lightly or treat it too flippantly. In the big picture, all discipline is about bringing our children into a right relationship with their Heavenly Father, that He might bless their lives. It’s not about controlling behavior, modifying behavior, or minimizing embarrassment. Pure and [...]

Posted in family | Tagged adolescence, family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | 4 Comments

Thankful for Christian Education

By caryschmidt | February 19, 2010

This past Saturday we had some family time and decided to drive over to the coast for the afternoon. It was one of the most beautiful coastal days I’ve ever seen—the sun was warm, the waves were huge, and it seemed that we had several miles of beach to ourselves. One of the highlights was [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, parenting | 4 Comments

10 Things Teens Won’t Tell You (Part 1)

By caryschmidt | February 8, 2010

Have you noticed that teens are tight lipped? For a myriad of reasons—usually intimidation being the biggest—they really find it difficult to talk to adults at times. This is especially true with parents. In every home, there is a spiritual battle against authentic communication. Let’s face it—the devil doesn’t want parents and teens to truly [...]

Also posted in student ministry | Tagged adolescence, family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | 1 Comment

A New Report on Spanking

By caryschmidt | January 26, 2010

Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported on a recent study that validated (not that it needed to be) the biblical model of child-rearing—spankings combined with balanced love, forgiveness, and nurture. The study showed that kids who were spanked actually did better in many areas of life, including academically, than those who were not spanked.
The [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, parenting | 1 Comment

New Data about Kids and Media

By caryschmidt | January 24, 2010

Several days ago the LA Times reported on a Kaiser Family Foundation study that showed kids are now averaging 53 hours per week in digital media, including TV, video games, cell phone, computer, etc. This does not include when kids are multitasking—perhaps using their phone and watching TV at the same time. When factoring those [...]

Posted in family | Tagged adolescence, danger, family, media & tech, parenting, social networking, technology | Leave a comment

Making Marriage a Priority

By caryschmidt | January 23, 2010

A month ago, Dana and I crossed our 20-year anniversary together. With the busyness of the Christmas season, we waited until this past week to get some time away. The Lord allowed us to spend five days on the central California coast (an area we haven’t visited much in the last decade). I had forgotten [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, marriage | 3 Comments

My Day With Haylee

By caryschmidt | January 15, 2010

Note to Readers: Indulge me—if you’re not up for a syrupy “daddy story”—feel free to move on to something more interesting. I wouldn’t blame you.
Last Thursday I was privileged to spend the whole day with Haylee. Just for fun, I thought I’d share the memory. We call these days “Girls’ Day Out with [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, humor | 3 Comments

Survey for Reality-Parenting

By caryschmidt | January 4, 2010

Several weeks ago I shared a post called “Reality Parenting—Making the Grade.” This post is a follow-up.
A primary goal of every parent should be to model a right relationship with the Heavenly Father, and ultimately to see our children embrace that same relationship. Seeing a father or mother live in love with the Lord—happily submitted [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | Leave a comment

Making the Busiest Time of Year the Best!

By caryschmidt | December 1, 2009

No doubt, this is the best time of the year! And in many ways, it’s also the busiest. There’s a simple, effective way to make the Christmas season balanced and Christ-honoring. On this first day of December I challenge you to do the following exercise. It will spare you a lot of frustration in the [...]

Posted in family | 3 Comments

7 Big Parenting Mistakes

By caryschmidt | November 10, 2009

Here’s a short list of mistakes that all parents can make when it comes to seeing, understanding, and biblically responding to the spiritual growing pains of life. (This is as much to myself as to others.) Stop and think about it—and pray for godly wisdom in responding to the issues of your children’s hearts with [...]

Also posted in student ministry | Tagged adolescence, counseling, family, parenting, student ministry, teen life | 2 Comments

Struggling Teenagers? Don’t Give Up Early!

By caryschmidt | November 4, 2009

Have you had a student come through your youth group, graduate, and not mature spiritually the way you hoped? It seems no matter how we pray, labor, plan, or serve—there are some that graduate and drift spiritually.
What about trying to help a struggling student, only to feel like you’re spinning your wheels? Gauging by the [...]

Also posted in student ministry | Tagged college and career, counseling, parenting, student ministry, teen life | Leave a comment

Reality Parenting—Making the Grade

By caryschmidt | October 26, 2009

Wanting to know the truth of where we stand with our kids
I had a cute conversation at my daughter’s bedside last night, before we prayed. It went something like this:
“Haylee, if you had to give me an A, B, C, D, or F as a daddy, tell how you would grade me…” she tried to [...]

Posted in family | Tagged family, parenting | 3 Comments