Focus on the Family Africa Family Matters

Family Matters

Family Matters is a 5 minute programme offering practical advice from Focus on the Family. Receive a daily dose of encouragement and advice for the family with keys to stronger marriages, effective parenting, deeper relationships and a more satisfying lifestyle.
Daily English South Africa Society & Culture · Religion & Spirituality
1,149 Episodes
920 – 940

keeping valentine’s day positive for kids

Can you give me any ideas for helping children celebrate Valentine's Day in a healthy and uplifting way? I always loved February 14 when I was a kid, and I'd like my kids to have the same experience. But I don't want to reinforce our culture's misguided ideas about romance…
13 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Child is afraid of being alone

How should we handle our eight-year-old son's strong aversion to being by himself? He sleeps in the same room with his younger sister because he doesn't want to be alone. He won't play in his room unless someone else is there. The last time he tried, he suffered a panic…
12 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Child has a negative attitude

What can we do to help our son develop a more positive outlook on life? He complains about everything and seldom seems happy. His negative attitude is affecting his school work, and I'm sure it's hurting his ability to make friends as well.
11 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Teaching children about self-denial

Should I teach my child about the importance of self-denial? We don't hear much about it in the modern church, and contemporary secular culture doesn't value it at all. But I'm not sure how our kids will understand what it means to follow Jesus if we neglect this aspect of…
10 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Social media red flags for married couples

Can you offer any guidelines as to how much social media communication is appropriate for married persons when it involves individuals of the opposite sex? Are there any signs that might indicate when an online relationship is in danger of crossing the line of impropriety?
9 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Parenting after divorce

How can I parent my child most effectively when our family has been divided by divorce? I'm a single mother of a four-year-old son. He goes to stay with his father, who left me when I was pregnant with him, every other weekend. When he comes home, he cries for…
5 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Our daughter is marrying a non-Christian

As a Christian father, should I give my daughter away at the wedding if she's marrying a non-believer? Over the more than twenty years of our marriage we've worked hard to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Her decision has come as a great disappointment to…
4 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Helping a spouse become more financially responsible

How can I encourage my wife to be more thoughtful about money? Our family has really struggled recently. I was laid off from my job two years ago and have finally found full-time employment. My wife worked a couple of part-time jobs, but we still have a lot of bills…
3 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Magic in movies and entertainment

What do you think about references to wizardry, sorcery, spells, and magic in storybooks, films, TV shows, and various other forms of entertainment? It seems our children are being bombarded with this, not only in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and The Hobbit, but even in relatively innocent…
2 Feb 2020 5PM 4 min

Discussing transgender issues with teens

How can my spouse and I come alongside our teenage son and daughter as they encounter instances of gender confusion in their high school? Believe it or not, a couple of such cases have come to light during this past academic year.
27 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min

Child doesn’t want single mom to date

As a divorced woman, what can I do about my young child's resistance to my efforts to develop relationships with men and to have a social life outside the home?
26 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min

Children’s doubts about God

How can we help a young child who is struggling with his faith? Last night during our prayer time my young son tearfully confessed that he's having trouble believing in God. How should I address this?
22 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min

Dealing with the fallout of teen sexting

Is there anything my husband and I can do to undo or minimize the devastation our teenage daughter has experienced because of her involvement with "sexting"?
21 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min

Understanding teen sexting

As a parent of a teenager, is "sexting" something that I need to be concerned about? I've heard a few stories about this on the news, but I've never felt that my daughter would be susceptible to temptations of this kind. We haven't talked about it because I'm really not…
19 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min

Social media signs of negative impact on marriage

How can I tell if my involvement with social media – Facebook, Twitter, etc. – is detrimental to my marriage? I don't think this is the case at present, but I don't want to be taken by surprise either. Do you have any words of wisdom for me?
16 Jan 2020 5PM 4 min
920 – 940