No glib utterances

Some advice from the chair of faith | Andrée Seu

Ali Douglass

There are a finite number of days left with that 15-year-old sitting in your living room. Get off the computer and drag her out into the sunshine.

I knew all the verses on good parenting—put a roof over their heads, put food in their bellies, read the Bible, talk about God when you're coming in and going out, punish their follies and praise their good deeds. The ones that slipped my net were not so much the rules God taught as the ones He modeled: spend time with them, get to know them, delight in them.

If you neglected to celebrate your daughter's birthday, don't despair. You can always have an "un-birthday" party.

Don't hesitate to take a trip with your kids. Even if you have a lousy time, it will become a better memory every year.