Focus on the Family Canada is a charitable organization which has been serving families in Canada since we opened our doors in 1983. For more than 30 years, we have been providing care, advice, support and encouragement to Canadian families at every stage of life. Every day, we work hard to respond to the many real issues families face and to provide sound and practical guidance based on Christian principles.
As parents, we know it's second rate – a rote performance that lacks real heart. It’s a three-part act that goes something...
When your kids are all grown up, eventually your thoughts turn to what life might be like as a grandparent. And seen from the...
School principals are expected to look after the needs of their students. But how often do you hear of a student who’s attuned...
What does God mean by this promise? Years ago, when I first became a Christian, there was a young couple at our church who...
My husband, Stan, was just seven months old when his dad died, and his mother never remarried. I have often wondered, How did...
The story of humanity begins in a garden with a man and woman made in the image of God. It ends in a city with a vast...
The sentiment "and they lived happily ever after" never seems to include the how. How did they live happily ever after when...
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” This well-known quote has been attributed to...
You're likely doing a good job taking care of your children. But how are you at being with them? You can raise organically...
My Dear Wormwood, The most alarming thing in your last account of the patient is that he is making none of those confident...
Years ago one of our family friends asked my then three-year-old brother, Brent, about what happened at Easter. My dad heard...
“For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,...
The post-Christmas blues. Or blahs. Or whatever. Most of us know the feeling. It’s that natural letdown that follows the...
January is a month that marks new beginnings. This can inspire dreams for what the year might hold, and the resolve to turn...
Last year, two-thirds of American women identified financial strain as a major threat to their families, according to a survey...
Guaranteed "win-win-win" situations are hard to come by. But here’s one that needs only a few minutes to reap some rewards:...
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) In our present cultural...
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in...
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being...
The Incarnation of Jesus is one of the great mysteries of reality. The idea of the infinite Creator becoming one of his finite...
During Advent, it’s traditional for Christians to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. We...
George Bailey, the lead character in It’s A Wonderful Life, was no stranger to stress and hardship during Christmas of 1946,...
Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening? Sorry, did you just ask me something? In the lane, snow is glistening. Oh - we still...
In 1982, Dr. Tim Kimmel recognized a trend in Christian families that most have come to know in this day and age all too well:...
The research results have been rolling in, study after study, for over ten years now, and the story they tell is a...
For many of us moderns, the idea of discipline has decidedly mixed connotations. We live in a culture of quick fixes and life...
Whether you like it or not, you’re being watched. Your kids, those newly married, newly engaged or newly dating couples you...
Is effective communication in marriage an art or a science? The correct answer is yes, and that’s not just a politically...
A year after her classmate was murdered, a first grader finally sleeps through the night. Two young daughters are able to...
C.S. Lewis and the concept of Sehnsucht In his writings, C.S. Lewis spoke of an “inconsolable longing” in the human heart for...
It usually begins with a simple admission. But that admission changes everything. One minute you’re exchanging small talk with...
A Barna report examining how Christians feel about sharing their faith has yielded some unexpected – and confusing – results....
When a passionate and determined wife – or husband – is married to an equally determined partner, it’s usually clear when one...
Marriage conflict is a lot like taming tigers. Consider this: A keeper wanted to have a tiger as a pet. At first, the keeper...
A weekend trip to a cute, seaside town could almost be described as idyllic for Tim* and Heather*. Who doesn’t want a chance...
"My husband always stops by his mom’s house on the way home." "My wife still asks her father for advice instead of asking me."...
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. In February, your neighbour had phoned and urged you to register your child for a...
At the end of a long day, I sometimes find myself curling up for the evening with a good book and a cup of tea. I want to...
My dad was outnumbered almost from the start. Only a few years after he and my mom were married, they had a daughter . . . and...
Recently I came across a treasure in the Walmart entertainment aisle. Tucked into a massive bin was an album filled with...
There are many reasons married couples need to live apart temporarily: military duty; long-term missionary work or furloughs;...
As Christians, we know the value of daily devotions. We see great men and women of God who set aside time every morning to...
If someone wrongs you and says, “I’m sorry,” do you believe them? Or do you need them to say and do more to show the sincerity...
From the thrill of wedding anticipation to settling into the roles of husband and wife, it can be easy to forget that marriage...
It’s morning. I sit at my kitchen table, sipping a mug of coffee and smiling as the sun glints across my immaculate...
Do you ever feel as though your emotions get the best of you? Your spouse says something that pushes a button and you can feel...
Do you sometimes wish you could present this ultimatum to your teen? "No television, no movie theatres, no Internet, no...
Lana* always suspected anxiety would play a role in her life. Her brother and mom both struggle with anxiety and it was only a...
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my spouse to keep"? That's not the bedtime rhyme you teach your four-year-old,...
A baby won't change anything. We'll be the same couple we've always been. A baby will change everything. Our entire world...
Do you know your spouse's deepest shames and fears? Do they know yours? What do you do with that private knowledge? We all...
We often think of attachment in terms of a loving parent soothing their upset baby. But the impact of this nurturing...
You need to stop tolerating your spouse. Jenna’s* husband scrapes his plate at the end of a meal to get every last edible drop...
When Sam and Annie* were first married, they quickly learned that neither of them did well with conflict. By the end of an...
From the beginning of their relationship, Jane and Simon felt as though they were soul mates, complementing one another in...
"I think when people first get married, it’s a natural process to turn towards each other and tune out the rest of life," says...
Do you know how to help your spouse rest, recharge and find the energy they need to live well tomorrow? Or, on the contrary,...
Look at your ceiling. Now look at your wife. Now back to your ceiling. Now back to your wife. What’s on your wife’s face? It’s...
When asked if Heather* ever struggles getting her husband, Tim*, to open up and talk, Heather responded with a speedy, “Oh...
The fact that money is a major stressor in marriage is not news. The way we spend and save can be a black or white issue for...
"13 weeks" is scrawled across today’s date in blue handwriting. My mind drifts back to when I first wrote those words on my...
"Grief knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common sufferings are far stronger links than common...
"Is marriage this hard for everyone?" "For the sake of our children, for the sake of us, I just want to get through this...
For a few years, John and Joan* had seen the warning signs. Short tempers had turned into silent stand-offs which had...
When Mary* asks her husband about his late nights and questionable finances, she's continually told she's overreacting, she's...
One of the signs of a healthy couple is an openness and desire to continually learn more – more about themselves, more about...
At the end of the day, I often ask myself where all the hours went, then I think back to how I could have made more use of...
Your kids spend hours apart from you each day during the school year, and naturally, you want to know how they’re doing in the...
The statistics are so appalling they almost defy comprehension: as many as 10 per cent of Canadian children are sexually abused...
At the end of the day, I often ask myself where all the hours went, then I think back to how I could have made more use of that...
Carla* admits to having affairs with married men. One man told her that his wife perceived herself as less desirable after...
When David and Claudia Arp’s youngest child moved out and started university, they came home unsure of their identity as a...
Your son returns home from school. He’s quiet, but collected. “How was your day?” you ask. What he wants to say is, I'm having...
Enjoy connecting with other married couples and gleaning from their experiences? If so, marriage mentoring may be for you!...
What happens when you experience a marriage crisis? Do you believe your relationship is doomed, or do you take action to mend...
This is the second installment of a two-part series. Click here to read the first article. While we recognize that men are...
My wife and I had a solid plan for 2020. We had just relocated the previous summer to a whole new region when she took a great...
If your child is hurting, you don’t need to be reminded that you’re under a lot of stress too. Perhaps your child’s situation...
"I wish the teen years would go on forever," said no one, ever. Teenagers are battling a deluge of mood swings, friendship...
Your kids spend hours apart from you each day during the school year, and naturally, you want to know how they’re doing in the...