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Read MoreAre your parenting batteries depleted?
Could you use some encouragement and inspiration to help you on the parenting journey? Would you like some tips and ideas for ways to have fun and to make memories with your child? Then you’re at the right place and we’re glad you’ve joined us! Eighteen years sounds like a long time—but you really have just 18 summers . . . and we want to help you make the most of them.
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Read MoreSo how did the Just 18 Summers® brand come about?
My pastor, Rev. Ralph Sexton, dedicated a baby at church one Sunday. As the parents walked off the platform, he said, “Don’t forget, you have just 18 summers. Take time to make some memories.” Whew, the poignancy of that slammed into me and I knew at that moment that God wanted me to do something with that thought.
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Read MoreWe want Just 18 Summers® to be about YOU.
We’d love to hear from you with your thoughts, ideas, and ways we can help you on the parenting journey.
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Read MorePlease help us spread the word about Just 18 Summers®!
Post about us on Facebook and Twitter. Tell your friends and family. Tell your pastors, family ministry leaders, and organizations about Just 18 Summers. Let’s encourage and strengthen families across our nation and the world!
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Recent From A Happy Home
Recent From A Lasting Faith
Recent From A Cherished Family
Most Recent Articles
Need Courage Today?
Teenagers waiting on the school bus shouldn’t cause you to shake in your boots…or well, walking shoes in my case. And I didn’t really shake. But I did have an argument with God. I risked disobedience. I was soaking up the sunshine and being refreshed by the cool breezes as I took my morning walk. It’s the norm to pray for neighbors as I pass their homes, or strangers that I observe along the way. Sometimes I even tell them I’m praying for them. But today was different. There they stood in their awkward cluster. Must have been middle-schoolers, with interesting assortment of styles and levels of coolness. I smiled and prayed for them as I passed. And God said, “Go pray over them.” What???? I said, “Lord, I prayed for them. I’ll pray more now. Please protect them. Please help them make wise choices. Please put Godly people in their path.” He said, “I just did. Go pray over them.” Audible sigh. “Really? They’ll think I’m a weirdo.” He reminded me that I’m almost 60 and that the my forties had freed me from most of the “what’ll people think” mentality. “Go pray over them.” I turned around, summoned up the courage to obey, and walked their way. Their glances made me chuckle....
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Praying for My Child’s School
Children and school just seem to go together. Although, school looks very different today than when I was a child. Sometimes it’s held online, or at home, or through a co-op. But however it takes place, it’s an integral part of being a kid. And it’s something we need to bathe in prayer. Many of our ideas about ourselves and others grow out of the experiences we have in school. Sometimes these are positive and affirming, other times . . . well . . . not so much. As parents, those are scary thoughts. But there is one thing we must remember and hang onto. God uses both the good and the bad to bless our children and grow them into the men and women He has designed them to be. While this fall is still young, this is my prayer for the school year: Dear Lord, my child’s learning life is such a huge undertaking. I can’t be everywhere at once, and I’m overwhelmed by what could happen when I’m not around. And if I’m perfectly honest, I’m worried about how my part in his education could affect him negatively. You made me his parent—even knowing the mistakes I’ve made and will make. But don’t let them ruin his life. Keep me from...
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Study in Style
God made you special, including the way you learn best. Read Psalm 139 about how he created you in your mother’s womb. Part of you being special is the way you learn. You are wired to learn best in one of six ways, called learning styles. You can even consider these learning styles as you choose a Bible. Check them out to find your style and try the ideas that will help you learn best. Auditory (learns by...
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Cutting Your Husband’s Food and Other Friendly Tasks
So, I cut his roast chicken. Into little square edibles. When I looked up, he wore a puzzled expression, a little worried but seriously amused. I drew my eyes back down to where mangled bits of poultry lay in a pile on my husband’s plate. “Hmmm,” he commented. “Maybe you need a day off.” It’s crazy the things you don’t anticipate when you begin a family. All the forewarned preparation in the world can’t compensate for being a 24/7...
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Parenting the Virtuous Instead of the Viral
I recently took a walk in a local park that hosts various sporting events. As I came across the outdoor space designed for inline skates, I saw a huge sign and large crowd. The sign announced a meeting for families interested in signing up their children for an inline hockey league. The crowd of parents and children that swelled around the sign was large and deeply engaged in the organizer’s presentation. The faces in the crowd displayed eagerness, excitement,...
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Your Foot’s in My Space!
“Your foot’s in my space!” “Your booster seat keeps leaning on me!” “Where is that travel pillow I need to fall asleep?” Words of frustration echoed from the backseat of our five-passenger rental car. We’d barely begun our 7500-mile, cross-country road trip. Already, the troops were getting restless. My own anger began to build as I listened to their complaints. How would we survive the four-week adventure which yesterday we’d been so excited to begin? Would our trip of...
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I Might Be a Little Bit Scared
“Um…can we just eat ice cream by ourselves?” Concern etched soft lines in my son’s forehead as he processed our conversation. Our family was gathered around the dinner table, and somewhere between flying sweet potatoes and a rousing retelling of the most recent Paw Patrol episode, we’d landed on the topic of inviting our neighbors over for ice cream. The introvert in me totally agreed with my 4-year-old. “But treats like ice cream are more fun when you can...
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