Robin Barfield
Robin Barfield is Lecturer in Practical Theology at Oak Hill College, London, and has a PhD in children's ministry.
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Article4 steps Christian parents can take to address the issue of p*rn
This week the Children’s Commissioner released a report on the deepening problem of youth and children accessing pornography. Robin Barfield thinks Christian parents need to deal with their own embarrassment so they can talk openly about the issues with their kids
ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you a dolphin?
There have been several animal parenting styles that I’ve talked about in the last few articles. Drawing on Solomon’s wisdom and the common grace that comes from the world, these styles can give us clues to self-reflecting on our own parenting styles.
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).
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.
ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you a dry-clean parent?
One of the features of modern life is that we have learned to outsource. I can no longer fix my car, my computer, or my dishwasher—and I know I cannot ‘fix’ my children! These things are tremendously complex, and I am more likely to do harm than good if I tinker. The solution for the first three is to take them to an expert who understands them and can do something about it. I can rest assured that the mechanic at the garage can sort out my brakes, my suspension, and my tyres, and get me safely back on the road. I even have an expert in dishwashers called Geoff, who I occasionally call around. He sucks through his teeth, then gets on with the job and charges me next to nothing.
ArticleWhat’s your parenting style? Are you a lawnmower?
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?
ArticleAre smartphones rewiring my kid’s brain?
Robin Barfield wonders if Christian parents are sometimes a little too negative on the impact of smart phones and social media. For an alternative perspective click here.
Article3 reasons to read The Chronicles of Narnia with your children
What is your favourite children’s book series?
