All Family & parenting articles

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    A woman’s place? Rethinking work, home, and biblical calling

    2025-04-29T08:25:00Z

    I remember the first pay packet I received; it was actual cash in a small brown envelope and was the result of my eight hours in a local coffee shop. I loved that job—the freedom it gave me, the finance it provided, and (retrospectively) the experience it gave me of the working world.

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    Why God invented the game: Five faith‑filled reasons sport matters to your family

    2025-04-25T08:25:00Z

    If you’re reading this, I guess you are parenting a child who loves sport—possibly to the point of obsession. Maybe you love it too. Whether your weekends are spent on muddy sidelines or at early‑morning training sessions, you’re probably asking deeper questions about how all this sporting enthusiasm connects with your Christian faith.

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    Fiction as a faith‑builder: How Christian parents can use stories in discipleship

    2025-04-24T08:00:00Z

    Long ago, before my husband and I had children, we were staying with a family who had teenagers. Together we watched a TV series featuring an alcoholic. I was surprised that the parents allowed their young people to watch it, but the ensuing discussion proved invaluable. 

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    Letting go to let them grow: Christian parenting without mowing down every obstacle

    2025-04-22T08:25:00Z

    If you could describe your parenting as a picture, what would it be? A helicopter always circling around; a bulldozer flattening everything in your path; a gardener, carefully nurturing tender stems? 

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    There is no good parenting without Good Friday

    2025-04-18T07:42:00Z

    We spend a lot of time on NexGen providing helpful, biblical, practical articles for Christian parents on all manner of subjects: films, social media, additional needs, disability, schools, awkward questions, reviews of Christian resources and much more. But the most important element in Christian parenting is you. That sounds obvious, after all the clue is in the word! But sometimes we might forget the centrality of that truth.  Your parenting starts with you. Not the skills, not the tips, not the information – you.

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    The online world: Friend or foe for Christian youth and children?

    2025-04-17T08:25:00Z

    We are all increasingly aware of the role that online spaces play in our daily lives – from shopping to entertainment, work to recreation, and even chatting with the postie through the doorbell. Life is now lived in a hybrid reality that is here to stay. 

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    Article

    When church attendance isn’t simple: Parenting, faith, and the beauty of flexibility

    2025-04-16T08:30:00Z

    When our children were young, attending church on Sundays and midweek was a regular, prioritised part of our weekly rhythm. If you’d asked me back then, with toddlers in tow, what parenting teenagers would look like, I’d have confidently told you church attendance would be mandatory.

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    Article

    It takes a village: Rediscovering biblical parenting through community

    2025-04-14T08:25:00Z

    Think of how often the wider faith community shaped the lives of biblical characters. When Jesus was 12, his mum and dad found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening and asking questions – absorbing the wisdom in the room. He gravitated towards those who could teach him and guide him. Moses was raised by his biological mother, Pharoah’s daughter and the Egyptian royal court. His mum saved him from certain death, but it took the care, protection and the influence of different people from diverse cultures to shape him into the leader he became. Timothy’s faith was nurtured by multiple generations of women before Paul stepped in as a spiritual mentor.  And Samuel – his mum, Hannah, entrusted her son to the care of the temple community. Orphaned Esther was taken in by her cousin Mordecai, who raised her as his own daughter and played a crucial role in God’s plan to save the Jewish people from annihilation. 

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    Article

    Finding peace after loss: Trusting God while supporting your child’s grief

    2025-04-11T08:25:00Z

    Grief is one of the most challenging experiences that we endure in life. Whether it arrives suddenly or evolves over time, nothing fully prepares you for the plethora of emotions that it brings. When my father passed away last year, the grief was overwhelming. Though I continue to hold on to my faith, there are days when the weight of his absence feels unbearable, and the notion of ‘healing’ seems distant.

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  • Dead parrot
    Article

    Is God dead?

    2025-04-07T08:25:00Z

    “This parrot is no more! It has ceased to be! It’s expired and gone to meet its maker! This is a late parrot! It’s a stiff! Bereft of life, it rests in peace!”

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    Make your home the safest space for the biggest conversations with your youth and children

    2025-04-07T08:25:00Z

    I don’t know if you knew this already, but you parents are scary to many younger youth workers. 

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    Article

    Grace Keir: The 'young preacher of the year' on the prize that changed her life

    2025-04-04T08:18:00Z

    In Spring 2023 16-year-old Grace Keir gave a talk on the subject ‘Why there is hope’.  So far so unremarkable, plenty of 16-year-olds talk on similar subjects up and down the UK every week. But this talk was recorded and sent off to the Premier Unbelievable Youth Preaching Prize (with Spring Harvest) and Grace won. 

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    Sweet dreams - Sleep is foundational for the mental and spiritual health of youth and children

    2025-04-03T08:00:00Z

    I can remember as a child and teenager trying various tactics to push back my bedtime. It was like going to sleep was a bad thing and creating a battle or managing to get to bed later was somehow a worthwhile victory. As an adult I now enjoy getting a good night’s sleep – but occasionally there is a battle with myself to get off the sofa and make it happen.  

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    Having a Disability Champion can revolutionise life for disabled youth and children in your church

    2025-03-31T08:43:00Z

    When we moved to our current church a few years ago, most people who talked with me for more than a few minutes soon discovered that I’m passionate about churches becoming more accessible for disabled people, including disabled young people and children. It wasn’t too long before our vicar approached me and asked if I would consider being the Disability Champion for our church. After praying about it, I gladly accepted. I want churches to not only welcome and include disabled adults, youth and children, but to also be places where they can feel that they truly belong. But what is a Disability Champion and why might your church need one?

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    As Gareth Southgate considers a generation of lost boys here are some reflections for Christian parents

    2025-03-27T09:26:00Z

    In recent weeks, the success of the Netflix drama Adolescence, with its visceral depiction of a teenage boy’s crime and its effects on his family, has led to widespread conversation on boys and masculinity. Sara Taylor has already helpfully explored ways in which this might inform parents in their relationship with kids. 

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    Mothering Sunday: A chance to celebrate mothers and consider the implications of mothering for mission

    2025-03-24T11:55:00Z

    One of the things that I love most about being a Mum is receiving hand delivered tokens of love. I have kept notes from my now-teenagers, one of whom, at six, declared they loved me nearly as much as their favorite toy. I have photos of a special stick found ‘just for me’ by a sweet little redheaded boy who is now as tall as I am. 

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    Should Christian parents be prepared to smack their children? The case against corporal punishment

    2025-03-20T08:52:00Z

    The Research is unequivocal; smacking children is harmful. Studies have shown that the negative effects of smacking include problems with social-emotional development, self-regulation, and cognitive development. Smacking also alters children’s brain response in ways similar to severe maltreatment and it increases the perception of threats. 

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    Should Christian parents be prepared to smack their children? The case in favour of corporal punishment

    2025-03-20T08:26:00Z

    It’s not an easy thing to talk about corporal punishment. Many British parents are wary even of broaching the subject with one another, let alone normalising it. For many people, the potential for justifying abuse is too high. Anyone defending a genuinely Christian view of corporal punishment should never justify abuse. But in our zeal to combat abusive forms of corporal punishment, we also risk eradicating this biblical practice altogether, forgetting that, when practised in love, it is intended for good not evil.

  • Phoebe and James (1)
    Article

    Siblings of youth and children with additional needs need support too - Here’s five things Christian parents can do

    2025-03-19T11:01:00Z

    This article is written by Phoebe Ridout, who is the daughter of Mark Arnold (from the Additional Needs Alliance). Phoebe shares her experience of growing up as an additional needs sibling to her brother, James, as well as offering learnings for us all…