Dear Joyce, My child is doubting her faith . . .

Dear Joyce, Given Michelle’s keen intellect and analytical nature, did she ever question her faith, the existence of God, the creation story, etc.? I envision this is something I am going to have to work through with my child who is currently in 1st grade. It doesn’t help that her best friend at school is an atheist. Any advice? Help! Love, Stephanie Dear Stephanie, I love how seriously you take…

Sarah J Photography

Managing Family Conflict

Family conflicts are unavoidable.  We have many relationships to manage:  husband-wife, mother-child, father-child, brother-sister, sister-sister, brother-brother.  How do you handle disagreements?  Sibling rivalry?  What are you doing to equip your children to deal with conflict resolution? The fact that you have differences is not as important as how you handle your differences.  There are five styles of handling conflict: “I win” – Relationship is not valued.  Needs are met.  It’s…

Sarah J Photography

Battle of Wills

At one point or another, every family experiences a confrontation of the wills.  You may experience it daily with your bright and precocious child who tries to run your family and demands attention.  Your preschooler may speak with authority, even if they are wrong.  Your 10-year old may argue with you about most everything.  Or your easy-going, bubbly child may ask for just one more hug, one more kiss, one…

Sarah J Photography

Dear Joyce, I have a clingy preschooler . . .

Dear Joyce, My daughter just turned 3, and she is acting a little clingy right now.  I am not sure if it’s because of her new baby brother, or if it’s just a phase.  She is very social, but at times when I ask her to say hello to someone new, she gets shy and hides behind me.  What I think is most frustrating right now is that she is…