Focus on the Family - Southern Africa

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correspondence@fotf.co.za

Focus on the Family Africa Email Newsletters : February 2007

Dear Friend

This is the first e-mail newsletter of the year, although we are already into the second month.

For us the year is in full swing with much on the horizon. We are very excited that after a wonderful and successful visit last year, Rob Parsons will be coming back to South Africa in April to present the “Heart of Success” seminar in Cape Town and Durban. We will be giving out further information in time, but if you are interested in attending one of these seminars, please give us a call or email conferences@fotf.co.za

Our second Foster Care Home is up and running, it is called “Esther House”. The House was renovated and fully furnished and the family moved in on the 13th January. The family will consist of three boys and one girl with a strong possibility of two more boys joining in the near future. The Foster parents are Alfred and Girlie Malishi.

If you own a free to view digital satellite decoder, you can catch the Dr Dobson Commentary as well as a Focus on the Family Book Review on Judah Christian Network. A number of our programmes are also featured on CSN which is the M-Net spare channel.

Thank you to all those who supported Focus on the Family in 2006. Whether you bought a book or gave a financial gift, we sincerely appreciate your generosity. Many of the opportunities that lie open before us for 2007 are as a result of your contribution.

As always you will find below a Question and Answer excerpt by Dr Dobson.

Please click here to find out what exciting radio programmes will be broadcast during the month of February. To find out which stations in your area broadcast our programmes, please click here.

Sincerely

Danie van den Heever
Executive Chairman

QUESTION: My children are still young and they are doing fine now, but I worry a lot about the adolescent years that lie ahead. I've seen other parents go through some pretty terrible things when their teenagers began to rebel. How can I help my sons avoid that turmoil ten years from now?

DR. DOBSON: The apprehension that you describe is well-founded and many parents feel something similar today. The most important suggestion I can make is for you to redouble your efforts to build good relationships with your kids while they are young. That is the key to surviving the adolescent years. If they emerge from childhood with doubts about whether you really love and care for them, anything is possible during the turbulent teens. Boundaries, restrictions and threats will be no match for adolescent anger, frustration and resentment. As author Josh McDowell said, "rules without relationship leads to rebellion." He is right. That's why parents can't afford to get preoccupied with business and other pursuits that interfere with the task of raising children. Kids are young for such a brief period. During that short window, they must be given priority.

Once you've done what you can to lay the proper foundation, I urge you to approach your parenting duties with confidence. Anxiety about the future is risky in itself. It can make parents tentative and insecure in dealing with their youngsters. They don't dare cross them or deny their wishes for fear of being hated in the teen years. Teenagers pick up those vibes intuitively, which often generates disrespect in return. Don't make that mistake. You have been placed in a position of authority over your young children. Lead them with confidence and care.

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