I’ve found that one of the most fun ways to plan for “accidental” teaching moments with my kids is by having a family movie night. You might think that a family movie night would just end up with no one doing any talking, but that’s not the case at all. Our family has made a tradition out of watching movies together, and we’ve even come up with a game that has been lots of fun for all of our children, is great to play anywhere, and leads to some great parenting moments where we can easily and without lecturing, introduce our children to life issues and offer instruction for them on a variety of topics.

There are several versions of the game as we play it, but the original version is the easiest to begin with. We call it the “Movie Line” game and the idea is very simple. Everyone watches the movie as a family and enjoys the time together, but at the end of the movie, we begin to talk about the memorable lines from the film. They may be funny, sad, thought provoking, or just something that we remember, but when all of us are “replaying” the movie in this way, we can very naturally begin to talk about “why the writer did this or that thing,” “why the characters didn’t know better,” “what would my children have done differently,” etc. From these very natural conversations, we can turn just about any movie into a teachable moment as parents.

The game is very adaptable to other situations though. We can play the movie game anytime we want to just by having a member of the family call out a movie. We usually start youngest to oldest, and the person who leads the round will name a movie and then give a line from the movie. Each member of the family has to come up with another movie line from the same movie. We make the rounds until each member has been stumped except one, the winner, and then the winner gets to pick the next movie. This is a great version to play in the car, at the dinner table, or in any other place where you find that you are all together and want to have some fun. No props are needed, no game boards, just a playful spirit and a good memory!

The benefit of playing the movie game this way is that you gain insight into your children and the types of things that they remember, and the ways in which you might help them to learn other things better as well. For instance, if you child tends to recall the most ironic moments of a movie, then you know that you can use irony to teach school facts or life lessons. On the other hand, if your child tends to pick up on the lines that are the most humorous, use humor when you can to teach deeper truths. Natural learning styles will begin to come through which will help you parent more effectively, but you will also have fun while playing the game and build strong family bonds of laughter and silliness.

Have fun with it – make up your own rules, adapt to children of different ages, but consider a family movie night as a way to engage your children in meaningful play that stimulates conversation and gives you insight into their natural learning styles.

2000 years ago Jesus showed us how to make disciples. Then He gave Christians “The Great Commission.” What lessons can parents learn from the practices of Jesus that will produce great blessings and memories? This article is part 1 of 2 articles.

There have been thousands of books written on parenting. According to several research organizations, these books have not helped parents very much. Not only are more than 2 million children permanently leaving the church each year, out of every two hundred young adults, only one has a biblical worldview! Jesus said that “we will know a tree by its fruit;” and the tree looks pretty sick.

Can we learn some things about parenting from Jesus Christ Himself? After all, He showed us for 3 years how to make disciples, and then commanded us to do the same. Below you will find the first five of a “top ten” list about how parents can obey the Great Commission and enjoy the great blessings of parenting.

10. Intentionally teach and train your children like Jesus did with His disciples. Consider the fact that Jesus did virtually all of the teaching.  Start early!

9.  Be careful about who and what you allow to teach your children. Realize that many forms of teachers and media will teach your children the wrong messages.

8.  Jesus was with His disciples all day long. Be with your children for quantity time; the idea “quality time” is yielding terrible results.

7.  Develop deep relationships with your children. Start when they are born and get to really know them; know them at a heart level.  Know about their dreams and aspirations. Be their best friend and confidant.

6.  Always tell your children the truth, especially about your own faults, sins and failures.  Being transparent with them will help you avoid the trap of hypocrisy.

Take a look at some interesting videos on making disciples of your children.

Hey, I’ve been doing this homeschooling gig a long time, and over the years I’ve met homeschooling moms that have one of two kinds of husbands in regards to homeschooling: (1) the kind of Dad that wants absolutely NOTHING to do with it except maybe providing the dollars for the homeschool curriculum, and (2) the kind of Dad that wants to offer help, whether just a little or a lot.

So, how do you transition the #1 kind of Dad into the #2 kind of Dad? First, you’ll need to take inventory and find out where Dad is spiritually, emotionally, physically, and mentally. A simple conversation with your husband will help you to quickly get on the road to understanding his point-of-view and thought process about his part in this homeschooling journey. If he is resistant in ANY way, shape, or form, then do NOT try to force anything on him. Dad is not going to respond positively to your nagging, pressuring, crying, or complaining. You want him on-board, and what you DON’T want is to have him defensive from the get-go!

If he does express reluctance for involvement, I suggest committing the issue to prayer, asking for his heart to be softened and his eyes to be opened to just how big this homeschool commitment actually is. Even if he doesn’t shoulder the teaching burden by taking on a class or two, if he at least gains an inkling of understanding of just how massive the burden is, then he can quickly become your cheerleader out of sheer appreciation towards you for taking ownership of the work load. And, trust me. You WILL need a cheerleader now and then.

Having Dad’s understanding will go a long way towards a positive attitude in your homeschool classroom. When Dad understands Mom’s heavy load, he can begin to show support with encouraging words and emotional support. Eventually, he may begin to jump into the practical side of things, as well. His attentiveness to Mom’s thoughts and feelings won’t go unnoticed by the little people in the household either. Soon, the children will follow suit and begin to pitch a lending hand now and then, too. With Dad leading the helm with a positive example, the entire ship will be sailing to success!

The subject of modesty does not rise up often in thought, conversations or even blogs but as a mom I believe it is time to maybe bring some attention to the subject and discuss the need that society may have for modesty to become vogue again.

We are all aware of the saggy pants style. I’m sure I am not the only one tired of seeing the underwear of today’s youth. Bra straps that seem to be part of the outfit, I’m thankful for the wearing of the bra but don’t really need to see evidence of it. So, let’s pull up the pants and cover the bras of today’s youth and talk about adjusting their thought process to having respect and modesty for themselves and others.

How do we do that? It’s a 3 step process that starts from the time a child is born. Let’s first start with a definition of modesty; it has been defined as a behavior, manner, or appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency. That’s a good definition but let us add mind in with behavior, spirit in with manner and body in with appearance since a person is made up of the mind, spirit and body. So, modesty is 1. a mind or behavior, 2. a spirit or manner, 3. of body appearance intended to avoid impropriety or indecency. Wow! Did you notice that the mind came first, then the manner or spirit of the person and then after the mind and spirit were dealt with then the body appearance was the last issue dealing with modesty. We usually deal with it the other way around; parents and authority figures usually worry about the body appearance first.

Step 1 when it comes to teaching modesty in today’s world start with the mind and the behavior that comes from the thought processes of the mind. If a child knows from the very beginning of life that they are a special person, unique there is nobody like them and that is to be valued. They have special talents and gifts that make them who they are. Now, I did not say that they are to be spoiled and made to think they are better then others.  At the same time a child need to be taught that all people are special and unique and need to be treated with respect. You have just taught modesty of the mind. A modesty of the mind that is not improper or indecent towards one’s self and the others around them.

Step 2 the spirit or manner of a person or we could say their heart attitude. There is a section of verses in the Bible that tells us how our heart attitude should be. 1 Corinthians 13:4-13 “Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude; never selfish, not quick to take offense. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and endurance. In a word, there are three things that last forever: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of them all is love.” If we as parents would teach our children these modesties of the heart that is not improper or indecent towards one’s self and others around them.

Step 3 is body appearance and how to keep modest. This is the easiest of all the steps. We have already dealt with mind appearance and then we dealt with the heart appearance. The body is just the shell that we keep the other two in. Remember we are teaching these skills, teaching and modeling modest to children from day one. Don’t begin habits early in their lives that are going to become battlegrounds for you later in their lives. Modesty of their body is appropriate during their toddlerhood through their adult lives. Also, teach your child to check to make sure that their clothing is modest themselves, you will not always be there to judge for them if something is modest to wear or not.

We have seen how modesty is so much more then just the body appearance of a person. That it deals with their mind and thought processes. How they as a person are important and other people around them are just as important. The spirit inside can be trained in modesties of the heart which are faith, hope and love. Is modesty going to come back into vogue by itself? No, but if parents want to see more of it then they have the power of instilling it into their children.

Oh, the terrible two’s. As a mom of twin toddlers, I wasn’t particularly looking forward to my boys turning two. As their third birthday approaches, I now realize that it wasn’t really as bad as I had been expecting. I don’t think temper tantrums can ever be eliminated completely, but there are some things you can do to minimize and sometimes even avoid them.

One of the best ways I have found to avoid a toddler tantrum is by giving my boys choices. When you give your toddler a choice, he feels like he has some control over the situation, and is much less likely to throw a fit to get his way. This solution does have a catch, however.

When you are giving your toddler a choice between two options, don’t offer him anything you don’t want to give him. At this young age, they don’t yet understand that you are in fact getting them to do what you wanted in the first place. Yet, they think it was their idea. (You have to be sneakier about it when they get older, but this also works on older kids!)

I have listed below a number of scenarios I often find myself in with my boys. They fall for it almost every time!

One of my boys is very clingy and wants me to hold him all of the time. When we are at the grocery store and he wants to get out of the grocery cart, he wants me to hold me. I tell him he can either sit in the cart or walk and hold my hand. This usually distracts him from wanting me to hold him.

Most kids hate wearing hats, and it is often hard to get them to wear them outside. If I want my boys to wear a hat, they each have several to choose from and I let them pick out which one they want to wear. Sometimes it may take 10 minutes for them to decide, but they are both happy in the end (and so am I).

Food and eating can be big issues when parenting toddlers. A toddler can drive you nuts trying to get him to eat what you want him to. I have found that giving them acceptable choices usually gets them to eat what I want them to eat. If I want them to eat a vegetable, I let them choose between two vegetables. Having clear expectations also helps. If you tell them to eat two more bites before they eat dessert, they will usually cooperate quite easily.

Getting a toddler into the bedroom at night can also be a challenge. If you entice them into their room by letting them choose a book for you to read to them, you will probably have few complaints. After a story or two they are usually ready to settle down for bed.

If your toddler is starting to have a tantrum, try to distract him as quickly as possible. Try to get him interested in an engaging activity. Make sure that he is not hungry or tired.

Toddlers thrive on routine. Try keep them on as regular as a daily schedule or routine as possible, with regular sleeping times, eating times, and play times.

Establishing a daily routine for your toddler, as well as giving him choices as much as possible, will result in a happier and much more well behaved toddler.

I never set out to give my toddlers chores to do. You might be thinking, "That's too young! Toddlers can't do chores!" That's what I thought too, that is until I was constantly tripping over my boys while trying to do my own household chores.

Let's face it, toddlers want to help mom, even when mom doesn't want or need help. But what better way to teach your toddlers to do chores than letting them help mom?

The number of chores you give your child to do will depend on your child. Some kids want to help more than others. At this age, the important thing is to teach them to clean up after themselves, not to try to get them to clean the entire house.

One of my sons is not interested in helping me pick up toys. He helps me for a minute then moves on to something else. However, he loves helping me with laundry and unloading the dishwasher.

My other son has to have everything around him arranged in a certain way. When we pick up his toys he makes sure everything is picked up and in its place. One day when we were picking up the family room he went into his bedroom and picked up the entire room. When we found him in there his room was spotless, and he's not even 2 years old!

Besides picking up toys off the floor at the end of every day, I don't require my boys to do certain chores, except as they want to help me. There are, however, a couple of chores they especially enjoy.

I realized my boys were old enough to help with the laundry when they started taking their clothes out of the dryer and running into their room to put them into their drawers! So now I let them put their own clothes away, and don't worry about what drawers they put them in. The important thing is that they are helping and putting their own laundry away. They also enjoy putting their clothes into the washing machine. I take turns picking each child up so they can drop some clothing into the machine.

I had a terrible time trying to keep my toddlers out of my dishwasher until I realized they just wanted to help take dishes out of it. For awhile they handed me silverware to put away (I take all of the sharp knives out first), then they decided that they wanted to put the silverware into the drawer. They can't even see into the drawer, but they drop it over the edge, into the drawer, then I put the silverware where it belongs.

I've had a lot of fun letting my toddler boys help with household chores. They don't see chores as work, they think they are hanging out with and helping mom, which is what is important to them, and as they get older they will learn that household chores are a part of family life.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit http://www.Christian-Parent.com

So, how can you prevent burnout?

I am sure that every parent feels like tearing their hair out at some stage during their parenting “career.” And homeschool parents have a more fulltime parenting career than most. The good news is, however, that there are simple tips and tricks that will help keep these feelings of frustration to a minimum.

Firstly, create a habit of supporting yourself. If you are always your greatest critic, you run the risk of running a negative, non-productive dialogue with yourself that will only serve to sabotage your homeschooling efforts. If an activity you have planned and undertaken with your child is not as effective as you hoped, focus on finding a better, more suitable activity. Chastising yourself on a ‘failure’ does not serve anyone and only perpetuates negative internal dialogue.

Keep your expectations high, but flexible. Shoot for the stars, but be flexible to educational and personal hurdles you encounter along the way. Life education includes learning how to overcome challenges, and this habit can be instilled in a positive “lead by example” environment.

Keep in mind that one of the greatest advantages of educating your child at home is the flexibility that affords. If your child is having difficulty grasping a concept, change your approach to facilitate their learning. We all have different learning styles and, by treating our children as individuals, we can set them up to succeed. If you feel that one or both of you is getting to frustrated to go one, change direction totally. For instance, do some exercise, take a walk. You can treat this as either a break, or a different educational experience. Either way, it gives you the opportunity to go back to the task you were doing later, with a fresh frame of mind.

Accept that your developing child is fluid in their likes and dislikes, and also their receptivity to learning. A tool that worked well one week may be less effective another. Don’t waste energy fighting this. Accept it, and utilise new tools and techniques.

Another tip is to try to keep firm schedules limited, particularly in the early years. Unlike schooling in a classroom within an institution, homeschool time sometimes has to include things like grocery shopping, bill paying and doctors appointments. While these are good educational experiences in themselves, they can sometimes interfere with planned schedules. If you have your whole day planned to the minute, these intrusions may encourage feelings of frustration. If you focus on a limited number of objectives to achieve, with a flexible schedule to achieve it, you may feel much more relaxed. Include some firmly scheduled activities, but keep them intermittent.

Lastly, build a support network, and don’t underestimate its value as an asset. It is not a weakness to admit that you can’t do everything all by yourself. Sometimes you need someone to talk to, to bounce ideas off, or to go to for advice. Sometimes you just need a friend and time out. Make sure you always schedule some time just for yourself. You need to also nurture yourself and your own interests. Having children is not meant to stop your own personal growth. It is meant to contribute to it.

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As a mom who has raised three healthy teenagers one of the many conversations I have had with each child is; where are you going, who are you going with and what will you be doing? I am sure you have asked the same questions of your teen. The answers are what we normally use to determine if we will give our permission for the outings of our teenagers. For the most part your child during their teen years are very social animals and would use all of their time with friends which is important but as parents it is our responsibility to help your teen use their time wisely and still enjoy their social life as well.

A teen needs to use their time wisely in developing their mind. Schooling should be the most important activity that your child is involved in at this time in their lives. Learning fundamentals that they will need to have to advance in their education and then to also stretch their thought process and to introduce new thoughts and ideas to their minds. While fundamentals in education are important adding to that education is something that a teenager should be taking time to do; perhaps taking special classes that will help them in a career choice or taking classes that deal with a favorite hobby anything that keeps their minds growing and keeps them dreaming about their future.

Physical activity for their bodies are just as important as developing their minds. Today’s teens spend a lot of their time doing activities that don’t require much in the way of movement. There needs to be something to get them up and stimulate their metabolism. Sports, walking, outside chores, part time jobs can all be used to take care of the physical activity that their bodies need to create a healthy adult. Plus these activities keep a child busy but they are also able to socialize with friends but still not have the empty free time available where they would be able to get into trouble.

Bringing your teenager up with some spiritual guidance throughout their lives will help them with making decisions in their teenage years that might save them a lot of disappointment and heartache. At this point in their lives they should be able to make rational decisions based on the facts of the situation and have the self control and discipline of making the choices that might not be what they want to do at the moment but knowing that it might be what is best for them. Taking time to have a relationship with Christ and being taught Christian values can help your teen make better decisions with what to do with their time.

If your teenager is using some of their time engaged in their schooling and adding to their education. Active and keeping busy with some form of keeping their bodies healthy and have a moral compass that they have been building through their lives by attending church and having a relationship with Christ. Then congratulations, I would say that you have helped your teen to use their time wisely.

There is a knock at the door and your teenager opens it to find a young man standing there asking if the old car that is parked in your driveway is for sale. Your son is home alone for an hour when the phone rings and on the other end is a wrong number. You and your young children are walking in a parking lot at night when you hear footsteps behind you...

Each of these scenarios can lead to disaster, but here are some things you can do and say that will communicate to a thief that you or your children are not worth the trouble.

Criminals are generally a pretty lazy bunch or they would go out and work for their money like the rest of us! They usually pick on people they think are weak, unaware or easy prey because they don't want to chance getting caught or hurt. They usually rely on the element of surprise to catch their victims off guard in order that they will be unprepared. This is their greatest asset. Knowing this is YOUR greatest weapon against them.

The way you walk and how you answer the phone/door communicates how aware and savvy you are. The idea is not to give the bad guy any more information than he already has and to show that you are fully aware of all that is going on in your surroundings. If you do that, the likelihood is that Mr. Criminal will choose another victim.

Tips for communicating awareness at the door:

1. Children should avoid answering the door if at all possible - even teenagers. This makes it appear that an adult is not at home and can give the visitor the upper hand whether it is true or not. Children are not as ready or able to deal with people they don't know and can get flustered in situations that are unfamiliar with. What is your 14 year old going to say to this man asking about your old car?
2. Always look through the peephole or window before opening the door. If it is a stranger, size him up. Is he carrying a clipboard? Is he wearing a uniform of some sort? Does he look menacing to you. Use your intuition and common sense.
3. Never give out any more information that the visitor already has. He knows your address, your car and now he knows what you look like. Don't give him any more information that he can use against you. If you tell them that you still use the car for work, he now knows how to tell when you are not at home. Do not tell him how many people live in the house because then he knows how many to watch out for. Do not tell him who the car belongs to... "Oh that car is my brothers, but he is away at college." Now he knows that you have a brother and that the car is probably not used. It is amazing what information you can give this man just by answering his questions. And NEVER admit that you are alone or even who is not at home. "My brother isn't home right now, but I can have him call you if he wants to sell it." Do you see all you have told him? Many years ago, I was asked this very question about my car that I drove to college and back in. I inadvertently gave him all the information he needed to be able to tell when the house was empty. He had been watching our house for weeks and then broke in when the last person had left that day. My mother happened to forget something and found him in the house! Thankfully this man found a safe route out of the house and didn't stop to hurt my mother.
4. Just because someone asks a question, doesn't mean that it's your obligation to answer! You can simply say that you are not selling it and close the door. If he continues to ask questions, it is perfectly within your rights not to answer. You can tell him that point blank or, if you prefer, you can simply say that you have to go now (have something on the stove, have to make a phone call, whatever).
5. Be careful about letting strangers into your house. If you have an appointment with the air conditioning repair man-fine, but unexpected strangers are a different story. I make it a policy never to let unexpected strangers into my house. I don't feel comfortable letting a man that I don't know into the house when my husband is not at home. Even if a scheduled repair man is coming into my home, I do not allow my children to be in the same room alone with him.

There was a story a few years back of a woman who let an unexpected repair man into her home and left her baby crawling around near him while she went to finish the dishes in the kitchen. He kidnapped the baby. Don't give a stranger the opportunity to hurt your family!

Tips for communicating awareness on the phone:

1. Children should not be allowed to answer the phone until they are trained in telephone safety. It is cute to have your 4 year old answer the phone when relatives call, but is your 4 year old savvy enough to avoid telephone safety pitfalls? Will she remember that you told her not to say that Daddy is on a business trip for two weeks?
2. Never give out your family name or phone number to anyone you don't know.

Caller: "Is Josh there?"
You: "There is no Josh here. You have the wrong number."
Caller: "What number did I dial?"
Don't tell them what number they dialed. Ask them to tell you what number they wanted!
You: "What number did you want?"
Caller: "909-555-1212 Who is this?"
Never give out this information!
You: "I'm sorry. You have the wrong number." (And hang up-even if they don't.)

Tips for communicating awareness when walking:

1. Walk with confidence. Hold you head up and walk with purpose from place to place-especially at night. This communicates that you are strong and have a plan about where you are going.
2. Walk with your keys in your hand. Preferably with the key between your fingers poised to use as a weapon if needed. This shows that you are ready to get into your car or house as soon as you get there. And it gives our villain a lot less time to do any mischief.
3. Look around you. Notice what is around you at all times. This communicates that you are aware of your surroundings. It is much more difficult for Mr. Criminal to use the element of surprise to catch you off guard if you are aware of things that are going on around you. And it helps you to identify when you may be in danger so that you can take the necessary actions.
4. Look under and all around your car as you approach before getting in. This tells our perpetrator that you are further aware. It also helps you identify any potential problems where you are headed and normally feel safe.
5. Train your children to follow a command. If there is ever trouble afoot, you should have your children trained to follow a simple order you give that tells them to get into the car immediately. Have the older ones get in themselves as you put any babies or toddlers in carseats. Communicating awareness is essential for safety these days. It is imperative also that you train your children to be aware of their surroundings and to respond to a rehearsed command that you have in case the situation warrants.

Summer is a great time to play lawn games outside with your family. There are many affordable games available to choose from, and most games are portable so you can take them camping or to the local park for large gatherings of family and friends. The last time I went to Walmart I found all of these lawn games for $20 or less.

Ladder Ball

Ladder Ball has been very popular for the past couple of years. The game comes with two "ladders" and balls that are attached together with short nylon ropes. Each rope has a ball on each end. Each player gets three of these ropes to throw at a ladder. Points are based on which rung of the ladder the rope wraps around. This game is fun for all ages. For young children you will have to let them stand really close to the ladder so they can hit it, but even adults have a great time playing this game.

Bean Bag Toss

I just picked this bean bag toss game up the other day. It was only $19 at Walmart. It is the classic bean bag toss game. It comes with two collapsable platforms that each have a hole in them to throw bean bags through. This game is also suitable for children of all ages. Even toddlers will love this game. Our 1 year old loves running up to the platform and dropping the bean bag through the hole. This game comes with a portable carrying case. The platforms have removable legs and everything folds up and fits in the bag so you can take it with you. This game can also be played in the house. It is great for rainy days!

Horse Shoes

This is the classic game of horse shoes, also $19 at Walmart. It comes in a portable carrying case so is easy to take along with you to wherever you want to play it.

Magic Mitts / Rally Ball

This game is a little different but fun. It is only $5 and is two games in one. It comes with two mitts that have velcro on one side of them. Each player wears a mitt and you throw a ball back and forth to each other, using the velcro to catch the ball. The game also comes with two flat paddles and a rally ball to hit back and forth to each other.

Croquet

When I was a child, croquet was one of my favorite lawn games. It was one of the only lawn games that my family played together, and I always looked forward to when my parents got it out for us to play. Walmart also has an inexpensive portable version of this favorite game. This game is great for children that are old enough to be able to use a mallet to hit a ball on the ground. The object of the game is to be the first to hit a ball through a series of wickets that are set into the ground.

Hopefully these lawn game ideas will inspire you to go out and do something fun with your family this summer. Kids love to spend time with their parents, and lawn games are a great way to spend time together and have some fun at the same time.