Over the past several decades the external pressures and challenges associated with parenting teenagers have been varied. Whether it was the introduction of rock and roll music, the “social scourge” of the 1950’s, or the pervasiveness of today’s social networking explosion, parents have faced the challenge of helping their children bridge the chasm that stands between childhood and adulthood.... 

“I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1) We hear so often, “She’s just like her mother,” or “He’s the spitting image of his father.” Even the old Russian proverb repeats the cliche: The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. It can mean so much or be inconsequential. Eye color, the stride, the way they deal with traumas, or the faint trace... 

John weighed seven pounds, seven ounces on the day he was born. His first days of life were highlighted by bouts of crying and long periods of sleeping. On the drive home from the hospital, a few days later, John’s mother glanced down, looked at her new baby, and for a moment she smiled. Then she looked ahead. “Honey,” she began, as she stared at her husband, “I know we decided to keep our... 

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). If someone told you that you would have no problems with your children if you raised them a certain way, would you be interested in learning more? Who wouldn’t? For parents, the upbringing of children is the most important and sacred duty in life. And if we carry out that duty according... 

A girl of seven lingered after the rest of the the Church school students had left the classroom. Something was clearly bothering her, and she wanted to tell her teacher about it. The teacher put down the papers she had gathered up in preparation for leaving, and gave the child her full attention. “I’m having trouble with God,” the girl said. “Why did He let my dad lose his job and make my... 

When I became a camper at age 11 in 1995, it was the first time I found myself surrounded by other Orthodox children my age. At home, in beautiful Allentown, PA, I was the only Orthodox student in my class throughout my primary and secondary education. But at camp, things were different. Everyone had something in common with me. We all had a common background, a set of shared experiences that meant... 

Sensitivity key to ministering to “invisibly challenged” children Photo: RIA Novosti The name “invisible child” is both a descriptor of and a dedication to our children, who are invisible in the sense that their disabilities, though often severe, are hidden from view. Brain disorders, though biologically based, often are not obvious physically, so the invisible child looks like any other child.... 

As a general rule, children like attending Church, and this instinctive attraction to and interest in Church services is the foundation on which we must build our religious education. When parents worry that children will get tired because services are long and are sorry for them, they usually subconsciously express their concern not for their children but for themselves. Children penetrate more easily... 

Source: The Voice in the Wilderness: The Parish Newsletter of St. John the Forerunner Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church     As parents, you know your children better than anyone else. You can interpret their cries, read their body language, decipher their messages. You’ve likely figured out the approaches that will and will not “work” with each of your children. You know that... 

Source: Orthodox Family Life     Over the years many people have written articles of their experiences of summer camp with many coming to the same conclusion, “What would we do without our camp friends and memories?” Now is the time for you as parents to plan so that your children can have those fun-filled memories too! The first time I (Lori) went to camp was when I was 9 years old....