Blog - First Things First

What Every Child Needs to Learn

Practice these caregiving principles with the kids in your sphere of influence.

Did you know…Babies can hear three months before they are born?80 percent of a child’s brain development happens in the first three years?On average, the ratio of reprimands, warnings or scolding to praise or encouragement is 12 to 1 for children in low-income families?A major study showed that by age 2, less-advantaged children were six months behind the highly-advantaged in language processing skills?During a visit to Chattanooga, Dr. Ron Ferguson, adjunct lecturer in public polic…

What to Teach Kids About Marriage

We can prepare people to do marriage well.

In a Wall Street Journal article called The Divorce Generation, Susan Gregory Thomas tells the story of her marriage. She met a guy, and they fell in love. Then, they moved in together.

Toddlers

Brooke Womack was sure there was an intruder in their house when she heard noises coming from their family room at two in the morning. In reality, it was just their toddler, Marshall, who had escaped from his bedroom and came downstairs to watch Veggie Tales."After nearly having heart failure, we told him to go back to bed," said Womack. "It is funny now, but it was not funny at the time."Walking through toddlerhood with your child can feel like a never-ending roller coaster …