Focus on the Family Commentary

A lot of parents rely on anger to get their children to behave properly. Jim Daly explains why loving authority energizes children with positivity and goodness for the rest of their lives.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

April Fool’s Day is about catching people off-guard with embarrassing surprises they never see coming. Jim Daly shares how you can surprise the people you love with something positive and life-giving.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Boys and girls are different, which can make raising them a challenge. Jim Daly shares how to adapt your parenting style to accommodate differences between your sons and daughters.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

A marriage losing its spark is bad enough, but there’s something even worse: choosing to stay that way. Jim Daly explains how to restore the romance your marriage once had by getting back to the basics.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

If something valuable gets thrown into the garbage, does it lose its value? Jim Daly shares why you and I are souls with profound value because we bear the fingerprint of the Master himself.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Details matter. Jim Daly explains why small decisions that seem insignificant in the moment can either stir up big trouble or tremendous success down the road.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

What can you do to heal your relationship with an adult child from whom you’re estranged? Jim Daly encourages you to reconcile by taking the lead, humbling yourself, and reaching out to your child.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Love isn’t a feeling; it’s an action. Jim Daly explains why our love for others has the power to go on and on and make a positive difference for generations to come.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Most couples get married thinking they speak the same language as their spouse. Jim Daly explains why husbands and wives may use the same words, but they don’t always mean the same things.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Many parents play board games or sports with their children and wonder, “Should I let them win? Or let them lose?” Jim Daly explains why children benefit from both success and failure.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

You and I may not be heroes who wear capes or consider ourselves special, but the world needs us. Jim Daly encourages you to believe that you can step up and become a hero in your family and in your community.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Married couples who refuse to admit they’re wrong have a hard time settling disagreements. What’s the answer? Jim Daly explains how couples can learn to see through each other’s eyes.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

How do you help a child develop the strength to face adversity? Jim Daly says, “Ask yourself, ‘What am I depositing into my child’s emotional bank? Things that tear them down? Or things that build them up?’”   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Human connection is necessary for good health. Jim Daly explains why human relationship is so important to our well-being that we’ll create artificial versions when we lack the real thing.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

According to the National Center for Health, 27% of adults suffer from some form of anxiety. Jim Daly offers practical tips for calming yourself when you feel anxious.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

In his classic poem, The Mending Wall, Robert Frost says, “Good fences make good neighbors.” Jim Daly shares why good fences make good marriages, too.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Bullying regularly makes headlines, but it’s still a problem that flies under the radar in many schools. Jim Daly shares warning signs that parents can watch for to discern whether their child is being bullied.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

The name Benedict Arnold was once synonymous with honor and courage. But then he switched his allegiance from America to the British army. Jim Daly explains why a reputation is only as strong as the character beneath it.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Every marriage faces obstacles. Jim Daly shares the story of a couple who learned to turn their greatest challenge into an opportunity to love each other more deeply.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Many parents struggle with how to create a loving marriage and a healthy home. Jim Daly shares about a reporter’s experience that convinced her that families really can be strong, healthy, and happy together.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

One of the toughest things about suffering is that it isolates us. Jim Daly explains why when we’re suffering, receiving support from a healthy community is absolutely crucial.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Rumble strips along the highway can save your life. Rumble strips in your marriage can save your relationship. Jim Daly shares why rumble strips can keep your marriage in its proper lane before it drifts too far.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Jim Daly shares how to teach your daughter to tap into her potential and change the world by standing for what’s right, even when it’s easier to look the other way.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

You can’t always see a thing’s true value at first glance. Jim Daly explains why what appears unremarkable on the surface could be hiding something amazing underneath.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Small disagreements can separate a couple. Jim Daly shares why when you empty yourself of yourself, the things that once drove you apart can bring you together.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

When work and family life get out of balance, our lives can get so out of order that the things we accomplish become more important than the people we love. How do we keep our priorities straight? Jim Daly explains.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

What’s the best standard for measuring our kids’ maturity? Academics? Athletic ability? Or attitude – how they treat other people? Jim Daly explains why character is the most important attribute we can instill in our children.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

How big is the “joy gap” in your marriage? Jim Daly explains why joy doesn’t appear by accident; rather, it grows when it’s cultivated, moment by moment, choice by choice.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Do you have big goals? If so, Jim Daly shares what you can do to dramatically increase your odds of success. But be warned: there is a catch.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

You can’t change your spouse, but you can influence him or her. Jim Daly shares why affirmation, not criticism, is the best way to produce positive change in your marriage.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

What do Sputnik and the four-minute mile have to do with a successful marriage and kids with character? They illustrate why success or failure often lies in what we believe is possible. Jim Daly explains.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Children learn to do what they’re taught, not what they’re told. Jim Daly explains why it’s so important that parents say what they mean and mean what they say to shape their child’s behavior properly.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Jim Daly shares the story of “Dads on Duty,” who volunteered at a local school to mentor students, protect school grounds, and demonstrate that men of good character raise boys of good character.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Many wives believe they’re helping their husband by pointing out his flaws when, really, they’re pushing him away. Jim Daly says, “To draw your husband closer and to influence him to change, cheer him on.”   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

It’s a lie that “words can never hurt me.” Words can be devastating. Jim Daly shares the story of two female sportswriters and a series of hate-filled tweets that illustrate the real and present danger of digital bullying.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Is America in trouble? Jim Daly says why it’s easier than we think for a powerful civilization like ours to disappear from history and explains what you and I can do today to prevent it.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

If you want your marriage to be better, move your relationship in a positive direction. How? Jim Daly shares how to improve your marriage through the wisdom of dance.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Sometimes we get a good life through goals. Sometimes we have to take our hands off the wheel and see where life takes us. Jim Daly shares why the best course of action is often the one that catches us by surprise.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Adult maturity is largely developed in childhood. But parents don’t always have to make life lessons so serious. Jim Daly shares fun ideas for helping your children mature while having some fun along the way.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

The world can feel like solving the Boolean Pythagorean Triples problem. What’s that? Jim Daly explains and shares why life’s most complex questions are answered by life’s most basic building blocks.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Do you repeatedly remind your children to complete their chores or do their homework? If you’re tired of repeating yourself, Jim Daly shares a practical idea for helping you motivate your children to take responsibility for themselves.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Things that offer momentary escape often cost us more than they’re worth in the end. Jim Daly explains why life’s greatest rewards belong to those who know when to let go and when to stay steady.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Do you ever feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day? Jim Daly shares how to escape the endless repetition of Groundhog Day by remembering that each day is a blank canvas that you get an opportunity to fill.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Would you stop mentioning homework to your children if that commitment improved your kids’ grades and prepared them to be responsible adults? Jim Daly shares the principle beneath this strategy and why it works.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Jim Daly shares the legend of Margorie McCall, one of the wildest second-chance stories you’ll ever hear, and explains why it’s so important to take advantage of second chances when we get them.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Anything can lead a marriage into conflict if we allow it. Jim Daly shares how to strengthen marriage by minimizing selfishness and maximizing sacrifice.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

The Holocaust is not only an important event in Jewish history; it’s an important event in human history. Jim Daly explains why the human race must remember the past, so tragedies like the Holocaust never happen again.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Healing from emotional pain can be tough, but it’s the ticket to personal freedom. Jim Daly shares how to set yourself free by finding the courage and strength to forgive a person who has wounded you.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

A t-shirt designer stirred up controversy when he printed one that asked whether dads were babysitters or parents? It got a lot of people talking. Jim Daly shares his own thoughts on the role of fathers in the lives of their children.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.

Things often have more value than they first appear. Jim Daly explains why, if you look closely, you’ll discover the divine spark of people’s humanity and value that’s impossible to calculate.   Support Family Ministry   If you enjoyed listening to Focus on the Family Commentary, please give us your feedback.