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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
Mealtime Matters
“I’m glad we eat together as a family,” my pre-teen daughter said as she served up a second helping. Her comment warmed my heart. I, too, love our shared moments around the table. Sometimes they’re rushed as we squeeze in a meal before Wednesday night AWANA or some other obligation. But most often, they’re times of sweet fellowship as we experience life together. Mealtimes provide a regular opportunity for us to touch base and talk about what’s going on...
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When My Children Shake Me
“Are you sorry for snapping at me?” I squeezed my eyes shut and took a deep breath. Shame washed over me as I replayed the outburst in my head. How was it possible that one three-year-old could make my blood boil so easily? I looked at my son, staring at me with his impossibly blue eyes. Waiting for an answer. Inner-Mary readied her list of reasons why her harsh reaction was justified: You’ve been pushing me all day. You’ve...
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Cooking with Kids
Make the most of mealtime Read about Jesus and the chat he had with Peter at a beach picnic in John 21:15-22. He didn’t harp on Peter’s past mistake (denial) but asked him about their relationship: Do you love me? Jesus went to the heart of getting deeper and building the bonds between them. Use time together to express love, and ask questions that involve purpose and faith. Laugh together. Share jokes, childhood memories of parents, or baby stories...
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Just Be Little
I have two daughters and a son. All three of my kids have always loved dressing up in costumes. My son, who is now seventeen, spent many an afternoon as a little boy in full Peter Pan costume climbing trees in our yard. He has been an army man in head-to-toe camouflage, a pirate, Robinhood, a cowboy and a knight. The girls, on the other hand, have always loved to be some sort of princess. While Faith preferred Snow...
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It’s Not Easy Being Big
The life of a giant is no piece of cake. I recently listened to a book about the making of the classic movie, The Princess Bride, which featured a humongous actor known as André the Giant. André was a gentle giant, according to the book’s writer, Cary Elwes, who played a lead role in the movie. André stood 7 feet, 4 inches tall, and weighed 520 pounds. But all of that bulk left him with an aching back. Imagine...
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The Positivity of Just 18 Summers
Recently I saw a re-posted rant on Facebook. It complained “Stop telling me I only have eighteen summers.” In it, the author wrote that the slogan judged her and she outlined many negatives the phrase incited in her. She told that she was constantly stressed doing the math and traumatized about how much she may have missed. The writer pointed out the pain the comment would have if someone’s child died before eighteen years. She mentioned parents who might...
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Loving Others at Lunch Time
Lunch time in the school cafeteria can be both a positive and negative experience for children. On the one hand, it is lunch, and food often makes us happy, but it’s also social time with friends. It’s exciting to see our buddies after a long morning of learning, but what happens when our children don’t have friends, or when the other children make them sit alone because they’re just not cool enough. Let’s face it, lunch time can be...
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