All Family & parenting articles
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ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you an elephant or a tiger parent?
King Solomon advised the sluggard to learn about hard work from watching an ant. What animal would he suggest a parent learn from? There are a number of choices and I wonder which species you might set as your role model. Perhaps you are like the tortoise – slow and patient with your children, compared to the hare who rushes them from task to task. Or perhaps you are like the eagle swooping over their heads, ready to plummet down to their level at any necessary moment. Or perhaps you are like the Mother Hen sheltering them under your wing, after all that’s a biblical picture (Luke 13:34).
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ArticleFive ways to help children respond with kindness and faith when the world doesn’t make sense
Last week, we went to see the Liverpool parade. The sun was out, the atmosphere electric, and spirits were high. As a family, we navigated the usual big-crowd quirks: people pushing in, kids on shoulders blocking views, random traders weaving through the chaos selling knock-off scarves and super loud horns. It sparked some good conversations about patience (we were waiting for seven hours!), and about kindness, as we encouraged the children to make room for people who couldn’t see, invited the smallest to go to the front, and choose to be considerate even when it felt like no one else was.
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ArticleChloe Swart: You don’t have to be a superhero parent. Just love Jesus deeply and live that out in front of your kids
Chloe, can you describe what it was like growing up in a home where your parents were so actively involved in mission?
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ArticleMarriage matters: The importance of Christian parents making space for each other
A few weeks ago, headlines and social media feeds were flooded with an image of the Prince and Princess of Wales embracing as they gazed out over the beautiful landscape of the Isle of Mull. The moment marked their 14th wedding anniversary, and they chose to return to the Scottish island they had first visited back in 2003 while dating as students at St. Andrews.
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ArticleHelping your child start school with confidence and faith
The school places have been finalised, and the countdown has begun. Whether your child is starting school for the first time, entering a new year, or starting at a new school, new beginnings are a big deal — and change is always hard. So how do we prepare our children in mind, body, and soul?
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ArticleSport, faith, and friendship: Evangelism for the everyday parent
Every Sunday morning, thousands of parents gather on the sidelines of children’s sports fields across the country. Some stand quietly with their coffee; others make small talk while the game unfolds. Earlier in the week, many are already at swimming pools before sunrise, watching through glass panels or sitting in cafés while their children train. For those in more competitive or elite pathways, weekends are spent travelling to competitions – families packed into cars, clocking up hours together, waiting and watching.
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ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you a helicopter or a satellite parent?
You have probably heard of helicopter parenting - the idea that parents hover over every move their children make, ready to swoop in and protect them from harm. This style has been made even more possible by smartphones: I can see where my children are at any moment. Is he going to get home in time for dinner? Why is she in the park when she should be at dance class? I just want to check that they both made it home from school.
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ArticleParenting without pretence: How vulnerability builds stronger families and communities
It’s a sunny Tuesday morning in London and everyone in my family is getting ready for their respective days – a dad, a mum, and five kids. What could possibly go wrong? As it turns out… socks. Socks can go very wrong.
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Article4 ways to celebrate your child's birthday, honour God and not break the bank
The celebration of a birthday brings excitement, anticipation, and lots of fun. Celebrating a child’s birthday increases their self-esteem, sense of belonging, and overall well-being. But are parties now becoming too expensive to host given the current climate? A recent article in The Times suggests they are, with many parents delaying parties—leading to a dip in the party industry in the UK.
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ArticleOlly Goldenberg: 'I am so grateful to be able to pass on the spiritual legacy of my parents to my children'
I was born into a non-Christian home. My Dad was a nominal Jew, raised orthodox in Sudan he moved to the UK and had long since left the synagogue behind. My Mum, a gentile, would have called herself a Christian, but this was more a matter of culture than heart submission to the Lord. More a wedding and funeral follower than a devoted disciple of Christ. That all changed when I was 4 years. Both my parents became Christians around the same time attending church became a regular part of our lives.
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ArticleAnswering your child's questions: What’s the point of praying? Because God is all powerful
Praying with our children is one of the most meaningful and powerful parts of parenting. In fact, teaching them how to pray is quite possibly the most significant thing we could ever teach them! But it is often one of the hardest habits to help them form.
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ArticleWalking the talk: Six things Christian parents can do to raise children who care for God’s creation
It’s Walk to School Week this week. Children throughout the UK will be encouraged to walk to school every day of the week. The aim is for children to learn about the benefits of walking for mental and physical health, road safety, and the planet.
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ArticleReframing our failures: Good enough parenting is good enough
I grew up in an era where pass and fail were clearly defined. Teachers would liberally use red pen to denote wrong answers (especially in my maths book), and there was no sign of EBI (“even better if”) or just a coloured dot alongside answers that weren’t right.
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ArticleFive ways Christian parents can teach their youth and children about generosity
Nurturing a spirit of generosity in children and young people is integral to encouraging their faith. The more they understand God’s lavish generosity towards them, the more likely they are to want to be generous themselves. A generous spirit will, in turn, deepen their faith as they witness the positive impact of their generosity on the world around them. Parents clearly have a pivotal role to play in shaping their children’s attitudes towards giving—but how exactly can they do this?
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ArticleSafeguarding and intergenerational relationships: Helping Christian parents explore the tension
You are running your first-ever Messy Church session. After months of planning, training the team, advertising the date, and talking to everyone you know about coming along to the launch, people start to arrive, and your church hall is now looking full. You are busy welcoming people and ensuring that your team has everything they need when you notice that your welcome desk team member is waving you over. You weave your way across the room to check that they are okay.
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ArticleThis Mental Health Awareness week, Christian parents can turn to the Bible for help with the well-being of their children
As Christian parents, we’re probably used to wanting to find out what the Bible has to say about the issues facing us and our families. We want to use scripture to help us navigate the world, and whilst sometimes we can easily see what the Bible has to say on a topic (there is an abundance of wisdom on navigating conflict well, for example), at other times it can be a little trickier.
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ArticleThunderbolts* – Redemption in the face of darkness
It’s been a bumpy road since Endgame but this is a fantastic addition to the Marvel universe because it’s actually able to stand on its own as a good film.
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ArticlePop the Balloon LIVE: Helping Christian teens navigate identity in a swipe-and-judge culture
If you’ve not yet come across it, Pop the Balloon is a new dating series on Netflix that’s grown in popularity after being streamed on TikTok. A contestant walks along a line of potential matches and decides whose balloon to ‘pop’, effectively rejecting them based on first impressions alone. It’s a high-pressure test of appearance, confidence, and social power. Who’s attractive? Who’s awkward? Who gets left standing? No conversations. No background. Just a snap judgment, broadcast for millions to see.
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ArticleWhen Sephora meets Scripture: Helping our girls see true beauty
It was November 2024, that time of year when I ask my children for their Christmas lists to avoid any disappointment on 25th December. But this year felt somewhat different with my three daughters. As I scanned their lists, I found myself searching in vain for the familiar comforts of LOL Dolls, Barbie Dreamhouses, and Lego Friends sets. Instead, I was met with a line-up of brand names completely foreign to me — Laneige, Bubble, Rhode, Sol de Janeiro, Drunk Elephant, Fenty, Mario Badescu (had Ken been replaced by a Romanian counterpart?). Then it struck me, with a twinge of sadness, that my daughters had quietly moved beyond the innocent world of toys, trading them for the sophisticated realm of skincare and beauty products. Even my nine-year-old, surprisingly well-versed in the world of luxury brands, appeared caught up in this early wave of consumer savvy. It left me wondering: were they growing up too fast, or was I simply unprepared for how childhood itself has evolved?
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ArticleWhen parenting advice doesn’t work: Understanding PDA in autistic children
“Have you tried praying more for your child?”
