If you’re married, you can do this. (But it’s so common-sensical that maybe you don’t do it.) Here’s the thing: We want the best for our
Tag: parenting
Improving How We Talk To Our Kids About Church
“Time to go to church!” But why? When I was young I remember pretending to sleep in one Sunday morning. Don’t tell! Over time I learned
By The Time A Child Is Six
By the time a child is six they are a living, walking blueprint of who they will be for the rest of their lives. Will
Pornography (Don’t read this if you want to stay in the dark)
I should warn you that this blog speaks of serious, difficult, and sex-related things. But I felt strongly I should write it. Why? Because the changing
Be The Evidence That Someone’s Life Made A Difference
On April 14th, 1912 something happened at 11:40pm. A huge ship holding over 3300 people hit an iceberg. Over the next few hours it would sink to
5 High-Value Parenting Habits from my Parents’ Generation (That We Can Bring Back)
A parenting degree doesn’t exist. Nothing can prepare you. As social scientist William Doherty says, parenting is “a high-cost/high-reward activity.” There’s nothing like those wonderful giggles.
Raising Boys (We need to support and encourage what makes them different)
This just appeared in the February print edition of The Presbyterian Record magazine. It’s a shortened take on my longer blog from March 2014. Enjoy!
Creating Guidelines For Technology & Social Media (Before They Start to Sink You)
There is more technology in your smart phone than there was in the first Apollo spacecraft that went to the moon. I read that somewhere.
My Dad Just Died. Quickly. Here’s What I Said At His Funeral.
(My dad, Eric Ruttan, died on Sunday, November 16th. He lived 2 months less two days after being diagnosed with aggressive cancers in several parts
10 Things To Improve Your (Young) Kids’ Lives Starting Now
This isn’t one of those lists that tells you to start doing a bunch more things so that (a) you have more stuff to do
Talking To Your (Small) Kids About Easter
Last year I blogged about this very thing. So here it is again with a few tweaks: How do we teach our children about the
Raising Boys: What Makes Them Different and How We Can Help
Boys are different from girls. I grew up as 1 of 3 boys. Now, I have a son. My friends have sons. And there are boys
If You’re Raising Girls, Don’t Make This Mistake
I’ve been doing a lot of reading on parenting these days. Makes sense—not only do I care about families, but I’m a dad to 3
If You Make It About Presents, Guess What?
I think we all want Christmas to be awesome. Filled with awe. And as I drive through the neighbourhoods and see multi-coloured lights going up
Date Your Spouse
For those of you who are married, do you remember your wedding vows? Having had the privilege of marrying several people (no, I’m not a
4 Easy Ways to Change the World (with your kids) This Month
Okay, I admit it. That title promises a lot! But think of it like this: I once heard someone talk about how people think they
Helping Our Kids Have Faith
Will our kids believe? Do they? This is a big question. Even before I had kids I was reading about our own homes being mission
How Do You Talk To Your Kids About Easter?
I was chatting with a parent this week. She wanted to be thoughtful and faithful about it. Yes, the Easter bunny is around. But how
