Tag Archives: fathers

The Proclamation on the Family — David J. Ridges

My husband and I were married on August 31, 1995, in the Salt Lake temple. Both of us came from broken homes and we wanted to make our marriage a success, but we didn’t have personal examples to follow and we felt like we were flying a bit blind. Less than one month later, in September of 1995, the First Presidency issued “A Proclamation to the World on the Family,” and we felt as though we’d been given a personal map to correctly chart our course. “The Proclamation” as given to us by the First Presidency takes all the beliefs, … Continue reading →

Single Parenting is Hard

Let’s face it. No matter how hard we try, or what we say or do – single parenting is difficult. The world changes around us each day. New things come onto our plates, and we try to acclimate and adjust, yet still the act of parenting a child or children is difficult when there is only one of us around. You are trying to be two parents at once, even when the other parent is still involved. And even when the other parent is still involved, situations arise that become difficult to face, accept and move on from. So what … Continue reading →

One Father’s Adoption Commitment

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Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there—adoptive fathers, prospective adoptive fathers, biological fathers, adoptee fathers, birth fathers, grandfathers, uncles—all kinds of fathers! As I’ve mentioned before, sometimes men are reluctant about adopting. But I’ll tell you a funny story about an exception. As I wrote in my blog, Somebody Meant This to Happen, I’d fantasized about adopting since I was a child. When I began dating my husband while we were young college students, he found the idea rather foreign at first (as he admitted to me years later). Nonetheless, by the time he proposed to me he … Continue reading →

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Father’s day is just creeping up just around the corner. Our dad’s are special people and deserve a special gift for this day. It doesn’t matter if they are a dad, a step-dad or the father of your children, they need to be remembered. So what do you give that special man in your life? Here are a few ideas: Mini Gift Album – This is a can’t go wrong gift idea. Making a small album, perhaps commemorating their life as a father, is the perfect way to let them know you appreciate them. You could do a theme such … Continue reading →

Fathers and Sons- part 2

Yesterday we looked at Saul’s rashness and willful disobedience to God, but what of his son Jonathon? It would seem Jonathon inherited some of Saul’s rashness and dislike for sitting around idle. Keeping it secret from his father, Jonathon made up his mind to cross over and climb up to the Philistine garrison. Unlike his father, Jonathon acted in faith, trusting God to work for them, 1 Samuel 14:6. The way to the garrison was difficult but Jonathon was not fazed by the difficulties for he trusted God to help them. Jonathon acted but only so far, as he then … Continue reading →

Fathers and Sons – part 1

Does the son become like the father? When we look at some people in the bible we see that a godly parent does not necessarily translate to godly offspring. We only have to look at Eli and Samuel to see that. Both their sons abused their positions and did not follow God, see I Samuel 2:12-17 and 1 Samuel 8:1-5. The opposite can also be true, where a godly parent has a godly son. Take the case of Saul and Jonathon Saul’s problems started almost at the beginning of his reign. Samuel told Saul to go to Gilgal and wait … Continue reading →

Do as I Say, Not as I Do

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“Do as I say, not as I do.” How many times did we hear something like that when we were growing up? Both parents and teachers have used that one. The problem with that line of thinking is clearly illustrated with another axiom: “what you do speaks so loudly that I can’t hear what you say.” Modeling the behavior we desire from our children is critical in helping to teach our kids good habits, and the moral values we want to pass on to them. My old pastor used to say, “More is caught than taught” when it comes to … Continue reading →

What Annoys Me About Mother’s Day

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What annoys me about Mother’s Day is, first and foremost, the way it has been taken over by commercialism. TVs and catalogues run ads like ‘buy Mom a diamond ring or pendant, a washing machine,’ etc – the assumption being that the more money is spent on the gift, the more we value Mom. Rubbish! Two of my most treasured gifts are 3 paperbacks and a hand made bracelet. My son made the bracelet of red, white and green clay around thirty years ago. Like his mother he’s not the most adept person when it comes to crafts, so anything … Continue reading →

A Father’s Influence

A curious thing has happened to my son. He has always been polite and basically well mannered. He remembers to say, “Please” and “Thank you.” But since our return to New Orleans, he has become quite the little gentleman. For starters, each day when I pick him up from school, the first thing he asks me is, “How was your day, mama?” then he actually listens to what I have to say! After I finish, he proceeds to tell me about his day as a first-grader. We’ve always talked but now we’re communicating. I have always felt that Tyler didn’t … Continue reading →

Celebrity Baby Boom—Just In Time For Father’s Day

The following stars have extra reason to celebrate this Father’s Day—-the recent births of their new offspring. For some of these celebrities Sunday marks the first time they will experience Father’s Day as a dad. Basketball star LeBron James already has a namesake 2-year-old son, but this Father’s Day will likely be even more memorable since he has a new baby boy to celebrate it with. James’ girlfriend welcomed their second son, Bryce Maximus James, on Thursday. According to news reports, the 8 lb., 6 oz. baby was born at 12:51 a.m. in Ohio and his Cleveland Cavaliers father who … Continue reading →