If you have children over the age of 6, chances are they are talking about the new Iron Man film. My oldest son is 8 and he and his friends have been buzzing about the new movie for weeks. Jafta and I had a chance to preview Iron Man 3...

A couple months ago, several Christian bloggers created a conversation about the potentially harmful aspects of idolizing virginity and purity. While I think that abstinence is a great goal for kids (and one I will encourage for my own), I also believe that it is vitally important that...

A little while ago, I wrote a post detailing how to secure an iPhone so that kids couldn't stumble onto explicit content. I had a few readers email me and ask for advice on what to do after you've found your child looking at adult content online. I...

I was devastated to hear the news of Rick Warren's son, who took his own life on Friday after a lifetime of battling serious mental illness. I don't know Rick well, but we have met a few times and have many common friends, having served in similar ministry circles here...

This past Sunday was St. Patrick's Day, a holiday I had completely forgotten about until my oldest stumbled out of bed and into the living room at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday night while we were watching SNL.  "Can I help you guys hide the gold coins?" he asked. The WHAT? ...

Oz the Great and Powerful is Disney's new imagining of the class L. Frank Baum tale Wizard of Oz, providing a backstory to the iconic tale. The movie follows the beginnings of Oscar Diggs (James Franco), a down-on-his-luck illusionist who relies on his charm as well as some shady practices...

As Black History Month comes to a close, I thought I would share some resources for talking to kids about racism, in terms of both the historical context of our country and the present-day issues of prejudice.

I am a firm believer that we should be talking to our kids...

I'm pushing for another "Occupy Christmas" movement this year. Last year, a lot of people seemed enthused about the idea of bringing the consumerism down a notch for the holidays and bringing the tangible giving up for those in need. Less plastic toys for privileged kids, more food on the...

Figuring out how to appropriately negotiate screen time has been an issue in my house ever since the kids have been old enough to operate the computer. My kids are huge technology fans, which is no big surprise given that they have two parents whose phones are tethered to their...

Looking at the world through a lens of gratitude is not easy -- many adults have not even mastered it. But instilling the practice of being thankful in our children is important because thankfulness is a habit that will benefit them throughout their life; people who focus on gratitude...

As Halloween approaches, many of us will be purchasing more than our usual share of chocolate. And while most of us probably make our purchasing decisions based on cost or preference, there is another factor to consider: most mainstream American chocolate companies make chocolate from cocoa sourced in the Ivory...

I took the kids to the park the other day, and I was seated just close enough to the play structure that I could faintly overhear a conversation that occurred between Kembe and several older kids.  At first, I had a hard time understanding what was being said, but something...

In many ways, Disney's latest family film, The Odd Life of Timothy Green, defies genres in the current movie marketplace, harkening back to the family-focused films of days gone by.  It's a family movie about a family.  It's not geared towards children per se, but it is absolutely a family...

"Brave" is Pixar's 13th feature film release and it strikes a perfect balance between the stunning visuals of Pixar films and the classic storytelling of Disney's quintessential princess movies. Modern parents will be delighted, however, to discover that "Brave" is a princess movie...

In the last month, both Charlize Theron and Jillian Michaels went public with the news of adding to their family through adoption. In both cases, their new additions are black children, which has sparked a flurry of Internet commenters to question the "trend" of white celebrities adopting black babies. This...

I spend a lot of time pondering the disparity between the mom I thought I would be, and the mom I am. I was such a good mom before having kids. I had dreams of my children playing with quaint wooden toys, learning piano at a young age, and having...

If you watch the trends of media, whether it be print, internet, or TV, you've probably noticed that every couple of months there is a new version of the "mommy wars" being played out. Last month's battle du jour was surrounding moms who work vs. moms who stay at home....

My family has been formed in many ways. My first child was adopted from the foster-care system as an infant. My second two children came the old-fashioned way. My last child was adopted at nearly 4 years old from an orphanage in Haiti.  I've been blessed to experience the beauty...