Parenting as a Christian Single Dad

Having failed at my first marriage it is important to me to not repeat the same mistakes. If you are married and having a tough go, Dr Hornell Hart has a few recommendations to help make a marital adjustment. Abandon ALL Feelings of Resentment! Emotional hostility toward one’s mate acts as an effective barrier against finding a creative solution and putting it into effect. What you hate you cannot understand so surrender all your feelings of contempt, jealousies, and grudges. Emotions of hate distort one’s vision and force one toward actions and words that are not beneficial. When one person feels resentment towards another, the other is likely to feel resentment in return. This intensifies the situation making things even worse. SOMEONE HAS TO BREAK THE CYCLE ! Don’t sit back waiting for your partner to take the first step, just do it, forgive and forget. Let good will take the place of antagonism in your own consciousness, even though your mate continues to carry on the old ...

I was doing some reading on the power of words and their semantics. I came to this section that touched on the topic of “trying”. For example; “I will try to lose weight this year.” or “I will try to make it to work on time.” As I continued to read I had one of those “AHA” moments. “Trying” to do something leaves a way out and speaks to our subconscious that we may or may not be able to accomplish what we desire. The difference between trying to do something and committing to do something has a huge psychological impact. When we commit to something we tend to complete that commitment. I have committed to many things in the past, however I have found that my language these days leans more towards the “I will try” side of things. I am no longer trying to be a man of God but I am committed to being a man of God. To me this means accepting His love and grace. I am learning to be more like Him and I have been told that if you want to be closer to God then read His WORD. I am comm...

Many times we think we can’t stand the pain – we just want it to go away and we pray for such. In our lives I think there are different kinds of pain; self inflicted and situational. Many times we cause our own pain and suffering. We choose to go down the road of sin and end up suffering the consequences. In life we go through pain that results from what others have done. We lose a loved one to a tragedy, we get robbed, we get laid-off, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it is not possible to avoid pain altogether but by making wiser choices we can lessen the pain in our lives. When we are faced with pain we can learn to deal with it and choose to learn, grow, and share our experiences with others. Pain should not lead to bitterness, resentment, depression, or anger but should drive us to forgive, love, help, and understand others. The pain from sin could have been avoided if we were to abide in God’s word and do what He says. Obedience to God’s will - wil...

It is common knowledge that there are two primary motivators in life, pain and pleasure. Looking back on my life I can see how this ties in biblically and why I made the mistakes I did and why I am pursuing the things I am today. I believe every, sane, person has an aversion to pain but unfortunately we don’t always have enough insight to link our actions to future painful experiences. In Hebrews 11:25 it states, “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.” Of course we are more interested in the latter half but when I think about this and apply it towards my life it makes it clear why I got into the predicaments I did. Sin can be pleasurable for a season. I know when I had my first drink all I was thinking about was how much fun I would have. Over time the sin of being a drunk wasn’t fun anymore and I was in a constant state of pain, however the pain of quitting seemed to be even more unbearable. At this po...

Question: What can we do as parents to help our children stay at a healthy weight? Answer: Children stay at a healthy weight by balancing their diet with physical activity, just like adults. One of the best ways to improve your child’s health and the health of the entire family is to improve daily eating habits and activity levels for the entire family. As parents we have to be role models for our children, we can’t sit on the couch eating chips and expect our kids to make healthy choices. Spending time with our children being physically active equals quality time with our children we will remember and hopefully they will too. Did You Know? Americans are growing heavier. Today, the majority of adults are either overweight or obese and our children are following suit. Children that are overweight or obese are at risk of serious problems like: type 2 diabetes, asthma, heart disease, low self-esteem, and sleep problems. Children that are overweight tend to be overweight throughout ...

Making things from scratch (when done right) seems to taste better and be better for you, even pancakes. I have a basic pancake recipe that is really good and easy to modify. Pancake Recipe * 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (for healthier pancakes use whole wheat or a combination of both) * 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 tablespoon table sugar * 1 1/4 cups milk (I use 1%) * 1 egg * 3 tablespoons melted butter (if using the microwave melt it slowly or it may explode and make a mess, yes I learned this the hard way.) Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl then add the remaining ingredients. I mix them together with a fork so there isn't any special equipment needed. Pour in equal portions or the size you want on your preheated (300 degrees or so) Rival Fold-n-Store Griddle Cook for about 5 minutes, until golden brown,then flip and cook another 5 minutes. Watch them so they don't burn. Thicker pancakes will take a bit longer to cook while thin ones will tak...

The Christian Single Dad Blog came to be several years ago, in 2007 to be exact, when I found myself coping with divorce trying to raise a small child between two very different households. Like many people I found myself with a lot of questions and it seemed my mistakes greatly out numbered my accomplishments. At first I used my blog as a platform to vent, vent, and vent but I have moved past that. I now look at the things in my life as well as my daughters’ that are working and that could use some work. There are so many different aspects to raising a child that each day I seem to find something new. For Example: Because my nutritional goals are different than Madalyn’s I have to make sure I adjust my cooking accordingly. While I want to lose weight and look my best she needs the right kind of foods to help her remain energetic and grow. I want to teach my daughter healthy eating at a young age and hopefully she will thank me for it later. I am sure she will have a list ...

Appreciative Praise… Appreciative praise helps your children understand how behavior affects others and is free of evaluation. It gives you an opportunity to mention specific behavior and the positive effects. For example, “Thank you for helping clean the living room, it made that chore easier.” Expresses thanks for a specific behavior. Describes the positive effect it had on your life or that of others. Tells what behaviors are helpful. Shares appreciation. When using appreciative praise you should keep the following in mind. Be sincere! Children can tell when the praise is genuine. Comment on what you observed. Be specific and describe the action you observed. “You really worked at helping your little sister tie her shoes. Now we won’t have to worry about her tripping over her shoe laces.” Evaluative Praise… Even though your intensions are good you want to steer clear of evaluative praise. This praise is when you simply tell your children that they are terrific, super, excell...