Ask your questions and post your comments

This is your opportunity to ask anything you want on the subject of bringing up children. We don't claim to know everything (obviously!) but we have picked up some helpful things along the way - having brought six children into the world ourselves and worked with countless families for over thirty years. Whether it be breast-feeding or potty training (my wife is a trained midwife), getting a child to go through the night or how to deal with tantrums, it is worth sending your question in. We look forward to hearing from you.

If you have comments to make please send them in. We may feel that other people would find your comments useful and want to make them more widely available - either by highlighting them or incorporating them into some of the course material. We will assume that, unless you say otherwise, you are happy for that to happen.

Posted on Fri, April 23, 2010 by John Sparkes filed under

6 comments (Add your own)

1. Esther Jones wrote:: I attend Halesworth Community Church and have done over the past year. I have a two year-old daughter and my husband and I are trying to understand more and so the 'Bringing up children' course is something that will really be our support in doing so.

After attending the first meeting I came away with a picture in my mind which really summed up bringing up children for me. It was simply the imprint of two hands in wet cement – and then, more wet cement but no imprints. We had been hearing in church the previous Sunday that the first few years of a child’s life is when their little emotional lives are being shaped – when the concrete is still wet! The imprint of the hands speaks of the involvement of parents in the process of shaping their children’s emotional lives positively. The absence of the prints in the other cement reminds us that it is all too easy to not really be involved.

It made me think about what I would rather see/have with my daughter - the opportunity to really have a positive impact in her early years in every way by learning more, not just about her, but myself - or to miss her completely and regret it in later life when, for instance, I might not be able to connect to her emotionally? I want to be those hand prints.

Times can be hard with young children but I would urge any parent to encourage themselves with battles already won and be steadfast in knowing the qualities and strength it will have given the child/children.
Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 8:47 PM
2. Kelly wrote:: I am attending the Bringing up Children course and have found sharing experiences with the other parents and the wonderful advice from our pastor and his wife invaluable. Tonight my little girl who is 2 and half went to bed after having a lovely day and a lovely bedtime and told me she didn't want to go to sleep. I thought that she just didn't want her day to end and was simply delaying the inevitable. What I didn't do was ask her the simple question 'why?' She may have been playing her parts or there may have been some other reason. It wasn't until I shared the incident with my pastor that I realised I had assumed instead of asking. I was told once take your child by the hand and take them with you on their journey.
Fri, May 14, 2010 @ 4:36 AM
3. Sue wrote:: A question ?
In a conversation the other day someone asked me if it was right that a mother had told her little girl aged 5 of the facts of life hence the question?
At what age do you share the facts of life with your child? Would this be a different age for girls and boys given the fact that girls develop earlier ? Does this depend on the child as we are all differing levels of maturity ?
Tue, May 25, 2010 @ 4:25 AM
4. Julie wrote:: I've just read the notes on discipline and would like to make an observation. I teach Family Learning, which aims to help parents to support their children's early learning and development and which covers many parenting issues, including discipline. I completely agree with the statement that many parents have failed to take responsibility for authority in the home and see the consequences of that in my work. In my experience the main reason for that is that many parents are afraid of their children, they are afraid of being disliked by them, and therefore do not put in place the structures and discipline that children so need. There are many other factors, such as broken homes, the absence of a father figure, lack of knowledge and apathy, but most of the families I work with are afraid to discipline their children for fear of being disliked by them. Ironically the opposite is true - where children are lovingly disciplined in the way outlined in the notes there is more likely to be respect and a good relationship between parents and their children.
Fri, July 2, 2010 @ 5:29 AM
5. Chrie wrote:: Greeting to all. Some of the Churches today seek the ways of slick Programs and slick was to bring you in! They do not Preach all the Word but somee this is called candy coated! The don't talk about sin but God forgives! Yes God does forgive! And yet God says leave your sin and repent! Once we do that then we are forgiven of all the past sins! But when they only teach God forgives is a half truth they are in the middle of the road. Neither hot nor cold! He will spew you out his mouth! True speaking of God and Christ Is the whole part Quit your sin and ask for forgivness! That is the only way to God! Look up sin in the Bible see what it is! If you only Preach God forgives then you are halve and God never hears them!
Fri, July 1, 2011 @ 9:50 AM
6. Chrie wrote:: The focus is on the non Christains! But some is changing in Christain beliefs is Here and Now! Some big so called pastors is promoting, To change the fire sermons reolace them with a Global reliogion! Muslims Christain tOgeather as one Campas! Forget halve the Bible About Sin! Promote peace which souds good! But lesves out Jesus! And sins commited by Humans! Our sins are Forgiven! Without them saying the person ask for forgivness! The don't presch the sins of men! Only Preach halve the Bible! So they are Lyers! False teachers! Wake up and see! The Fruit The False teachers that call thie self christaions! Who speak Halve truth But denye Jesus at truth! The Whole battle! Satan comes steal kill and destroy! he hit the Christain Church! If you don't believe watch and see The False teachings many will fall!
Fri, July 1, 2011 @ 10:15 AM

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