From the Book: Postmodern Childrens Ministry
Infants
I believe the spiritual formation of the child begins as birth, at the very earliest (see Psalms 139). It may be positive or negative, but it is never neutral. In fact, Fowler believes infancy is a crucial foundational stage for all later positive faith development. Naturally, an infant has no concept of a world larger than himself and certainly no concept of any kind of God or faith. Yet the way the infant is cared for during those early months of life has direct bearing on his ability to form a relationship with God and with others in the faith community to which he belongs.
by Ivy Beckwith

Children's Bulletin

Should You Have Disagreements in Front of the Children?

Parental modeling of respectful disagreements can be a powerful and useful life lesson for children to observe, provided that a few cautions are kept in mind:

Consider your audience. The children should be old enough to comprehend what you are talking about and emotionally mature enough to grasp the concept that you can disagree with someone whom you deeply love and respect. Preschoolers and early grade-school children can become terrified by the thought that Mom and Dad dont like each other and may misinterpret a spirited parental exchange as the unraveling of their world. They probably should rarely, if ever, witness a serious parental disagreement.

Story to tell your child about anger
Genghis Khan was a great king and warrior. He led his army into China and Persia, and he conquered many lands. One morning when he was home from the wars, he rode out into the woods to have a day of sport. Many of his friends were with him. All day long Genghis and his huntsmen rode though the woods. They didn't find the game they were looking for.
On the way home Genghis separated from the group and took a passage that was a little longer. His pet hawk had left his wrist and flown away. Genghis was thirsty and decided to stop at a spring. He jumped down from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops. It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that he could hardly wait. At last the cup was full. He put it to his lips, and was about to take a drink.All at once there was a whirring sound in the air, and the cup was knocked out of his hands. The water was all spilled upon the ground. The king looked to see who had done this thing. It was his pet hawk. The king again filled his cup, this time only half full. Again the hawk knocked the cup out of his hands.And now the king was very angry. He tried and for the third time the hawk kept him from drinking.Then he filled the cup again. But before he tried to drink he drew his sword. The next moment the hawk lay bleeding and dying on the ground. When he reached for his cup he found that it had fallen between two rocks. The king determined to have a drink climbed up the rocks only to find a dead poisonous snake had fallen in the water.The king stopped. He forgot his thirst. He thought only of the poor dead bird lying on the ground below him.The hawk saved my life! he cried, and how did I repay him? He was my best friend, and I have killed him.He took the bird, mounted his horse and rode home. He said to himself: I have learned a sad lesson today, and that is, never to do anything in anger.

Weekly Bulletin

Emotional Development of Children by Focus on the family
1. Be purposeful in guiding your child's emotional life. Focus intentionally on his emotional needs. These needs are just as important as his cognitive, physical and spiritual needs.
2. Build a strong bond by spending quality time with your child. Experts agree that parents who interact regularly with their children beginning in infancy develop stronger bonds.
3. Stay emotionally in tune. Connect with your child on an emotional level. Attempt to understand what she is feeling. When she is happy, be happy for her; when she is sad, cry with her.
4. Model healthy emotional relating. Your children will mimic the way you handle emotions and the way you relate to others. By managing your own emotions in a positive way, your children will learn to do so as well.
5. Teach children how to handle negative emotions. Doing this well does not come naturally. Children need to be taught how to handle defeat, deal with conflict or be angry in a healthy way. Children who are taught these skills early are better able to handle negative feelings as adults.