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Your Family Matters
Tess Worrell
Tess is married to her high school sweetheart and is the mother of eight incredible children. Her primary focus and joy are all the opportunities (and challenges!) of growing together as a family. She uses this experience plus her training in family relations and as a family mediator to write, speak, and teach on family issues. She serves (individually and with her husband) by speaking to a variety of groups, teaching classes on marriage and parenting, and consulting with families to resolve marriage and parenting issues. She writes for a variety of publications. Most importantly, as a wife and mother she lives first-hand the reality of family life. She seeks to share with others what God has graciously taught her. Practical, humorous, and candid about her own struggles and failings, Tess offers the hope of doing life God's way along with encouragement and strategies for the challenges we all face in getting there. For more information about Tess' speaking and writing visit her website at yourfamilymatterstous.com. Also, get monthly insights from her newsletter on the Family Tips tab of the website or go to yourfamilymatterstous.blogspot.com.
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Parenting: It's About a Direction
Tess Worrell
"It's about a direction--not a line." John Stonestreet, Summit Ministries. Perhaps, the greatest single statement of parenting advice I have ever heard. As parents, we long to shape our children into becoming people whose hearts are right. Yet, so often we teach only lines. . . . keep reading
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Helping Children Cope with the Holidays
Tess Worrell
Glass ornaments. . .sugary treats. . .late nights. . .new faces. The very things that make the season so jolly for adults present a plethora of challenges for our children. A little forethought can keep the fun going for our children as well. . . . keep reading
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Help--I'm Drowning: Parenting the Active Family
Tess Worrell
Soccer, drama, piano, Algebra club, Boy Scouts, Girls in Action--the activities available to our children astounds. How do parents take advantage of all the good available to our children while protecting family time and ties? Consider these signs that your family may be in over its head. . . . keep reading
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Time to Play!
Tess Worrell
"Mom--can you play, NOW?" How often I hear those words! They are both a blessing--and a little bit of a curse. Of course I want to play with my children. Some of our best memories are created . . . keep reading
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A Father's Ally--Mom
Tess Worrell
What does it take to be a really good dad? While there are many answers, a key component is a supportive mom. When we choose to come alongside our husbands, encouraging and supporting their vision for our families, we enable them to become the father they long to be. . . . keep reading
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Creative Mothering
Tess Worrell
Today's women literally have it all. We have opportunities prior generations could never imagine. Schools, scholarships, and hiring agents all give preferential treatment to women granting us access to any endeavor we desire. But can any of these opportunities compete with the opportunity to create a home which nurtures children into strong and pure men and women? . . . keep reading
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The Best Valentine's Gift--Communication
Tess Worrell
Throat tightens. . .teeth clench. . .perspiration forms on the forehead and upper lip--our poor husbands! Many create a pitiful sight as they troll the mall facing the annual conundrum--what do I get my wife for Valentine's Day? Most men want one thing--to hit big. They want to find "it"--the gift that will bring the gasp, the hand to the mouth, the look that says, "This is perfect!" Yet, between a constant barrage of contradictory messages . . . keep reading
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Money Matters for Middle-Schoolers
Tess Worrell
|tease start| |tease end|Baby-sitting, lawn-mowing, helping Grandpa at his store--children from fifth to eighth grade move beyond just getting an allowance to earning some fairly serious cash. . . . keep reading
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Money Matters for Elementary Children
Tess Worrell
Once upon a time a mother, down to her last penny, sent her son to sell the family cow and buy food. So begins the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. If you know the story, you know the mother's fury when Jack traded a good milk cow for three "magic" beans. While we can sympathize with the mother, are we training our children to handle money any better? . . . keep reading
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Growing Up Is Hard To Do
Tess Worrell
Sobs--loud ones--come from our son's bedroom. Startled because he'd just gone to bed with no problems, Mike bounds up the steps to find out what's wrong. A little later he returns, half-laughing. . . . keep reading
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Checking the List--Checking the Love Language
Tess Worrell
Parents are making their list and checking it twice. . .or three times|image1| . . .or four--just to make sure Christmas is perfect for their children. We troll aisles and web sites looking for "it"--the gift that will cause the gasp. . .the wide eyes. . .and the "Oh Mommy, Daddy, it's perfect!!" We want Christmas to be perfect so our children will know just how much we love them. With all the thought and care we put into our gifts, one list remains--have you checked the love language list? . . . keep reading
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Creating a Grateful Heart
Tess Worrell
Ah, Thanksgiving!!--the last unsullied holiday. No gifts, no media hype, no Thanksgiving movies portraying an unrealistic picture of the "perfect" Thanksgiving. Instead, families can simply get together to enjoy each other's company and give thanks for the many blessing we enjoy. That's significant. Even with the very real struggles many families face, we still have many reasons to be thankful. . . . keep reading
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When Children Get it Right
Tess Worrell
Everyone wants to know what to do when their child misbehaves. But, do you ever wonder, "What do I do when my child gets it right?" . . . keep reading
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Tis the Season--to be Scared?
Tess Worrell
"Scary, Mommy, scary!!" My daughter cringes as we scurry past a moaning skeleton whose fingers reach toward our grocery cart. Another shopping trip in October. Pumpkins glow on the porches, costumes line store aisles, and scary masks peek from the shelves--the Halloween season is here. When many children feel more fear than fun, how do parents keep the anxiety to a minimum? . . . keep reading
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