Blog Posts
Eight Tips for “Correcting Children’s Behavior without Yelling or Hitting” (1) – “Heart-to-Heart: Loving Family” Series - What most children want most is very simple: not material rewards, not praise in front of others, but just that parents "spend time" with them and give them basic respect, trust and a little understanding. As Dr. Ip shared: as long as a person is willing to "spend time" to practice these eight tips “with love”, parents can correct children’s behavior without yelling or hitting, and anyone can become a good father or a good mother.
Breaking Through the Generational Barrier – “Heart-to-Heart: Loving Church” Series - Has a conversation with your children ever ended badly because of a misunderstanding? Do you find it hard to make sense of the things that your children value, their lifestyle, and how they use their time? Have they ever said anything that hurt your feelings? Do you feel that no matter how hard you love them, there is still a barrier? You are not alone if you can somehow identify with these questions because generational communication is not always smooth and without roadblocks. However, instead of getting frustrated, you can choose to be more open-minded, willing to listen and learn, wait for the opportunity to arise, or even restore the relationship. We hope that Presence’s “Healthy Dialogue” Series will bring hope and inspiration to break through generational barriers.
Learning to Listen: A Father’s Story of Reading with His Son – “Heart-to-Heart: Loving Family” Series - Have you ever tried reading books together with your preteen or teenager? Did you discover that your kid has already formulated their own views, possibly different from your own? What benefits or challenges did you experience in your relationship with your child from reading together? Let’s hear what Rev. Ching has to say about reading together with his son.
Homeschooling Reflection – A Journey of Faith – “Heart-to-Heart: Loving Family” Series - Since the onset of the pandemic, online learning and decreased activities have led to an increasing need for parents to take up the role of teachers. Some families have even chosen to homeschool their children. Not only can this lower the risk of contracting COVID at school, it can also prevent children from learning obstacles and losses due to the restrictions of the pandemic. Does homeschooling work? What are the pains and joys? May you be inspired by Stephane’s sharing.
Nurture a Close Relationship with a Transformed Heart – “Heart-to-Heart: Loving Family” Series - I always ask myself, “Who are the people that I have the closest relationship with? Who would I like to have a close relationship with?” After reflecting on these questions, I would say that my relationships with my family members are the closest. Good friends do play an important role in our lives, but relationships between friends may change over time or because of geographical distance. Only family members will always have a special and unchanging spot in our hearts.
Reading Together: A Resource for Building a Closer Parent-Child Relationship - The recent pandemic has without a doubt affected our relationships with friends and family members. For those parents looking to connect with their teens or adult children on a deeper level; or for those youth who want to have a better relationship with their parents, we at Presence and RE:NEW hope to provide resources that will help families take the time to understand one another’s perspectives.
The Growth and Maturity of an American-Born Chinese (2) - Our last blog article talked about how Yanzie, a typical good American-Born Chinese girl, dealt with parents’ expectations, identity issues as an ABC, together with all the other challenges in her high school years. In this issue, Yanzie shares about the changes she experienced in her college years, the transformation of her relationship with her parents, and how faith carried her through growing pains and difficulties. With understanding and acceptance, she believes there can always be warmth and harmony within the family.
The Growth and Maturity of an American-Born Chinese (1) - In the eyes of Chinese parents, the so-called perfect child is believed to have no more than a few characteristics: outstanding academic performance, helpful with house chores, active school participation, gets along with peers, respectful and courteous to elders, responsible, and caring for family members. Though Chinese parents work hard to raise their children to be sensible and good, have you ever thought about how they think about their identity, their relationship with parents, and the various challenges they face in school?
Love Language – Presence Harmonious Family Series - We all have our own love language, and so do our children, spouses, and parents. If we can understand their preferences and speak their love language accordingly, it can bolster our relationships with warm feelings and joy. For this Thanksgiving season, try to discover the love languages of the people around you and respond with their preference to show your gratitude towards them. Surely, they will deeply feel your love and gratitude!
Listening to Our Children’s Hearts – Presence Harmonious Family Series - Every person is uniquely created by God. But no matter the personality, kids, just like us adults, need to be understood. I often ask myself: how can I better understand my children? After attending a parenting workshop led by Dr. Agnes Ip, I now have a better grasp of the steps needed to understand my kids.
Media
- Presence – Video Gaming Addiction Seminar Recap (6/20/2018)
- The Family – a Presence Film (4/21/2017)
