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
292 – 312

Rekindling a marriage as empty nesters

So many couples fall into the trap of focusing all their energy on their children, so much so, that when they “fly the nest” mom and dad are left with not much of a marriage.
15 Jun 2022 6AM 4 min

How can a woman be made in the image of a male God?

There is a lot of controversy around gender and equality these days, and Christians are having to hold firm to their beliefs in the Bible in order to withstand the onslaught from the media and liberal activists. But the Bible speaks of women being made in the image of God,…
14 Jun 2022 6AM 4 min

Evangelizing millennials

We often talk about the millennial generation and how life has been a completely different experience for those born into this digital age. It affects parenting, career choices, attitudes towards socializing and so much more. But how have Millenials been affected in their view of the Church and God? Many…
13 Jun 2022 6AM 4 min

How to avoid spoiling your child

For parents to avoid spoiling their children, there needs to be a conscious effort towards teaching what matters most and showing them how to serve others. Far too many youngsters are growing up entitled and with unhealthy self-righteousness. And it’s easy to try and shift the blame, but if we’re…
10 Jun 2022 6AM 4 min

Adolescent thinks his parents don’t respect him

If you’re a teen who’s feeling trapped by your parents’ “controlling behavior”, then stay tuned. You may not like some of their ideas, and their methods of guiding you into the right path may seem ineffective and unreasonable to you, but it's highly likely that they have your best interests…
9 Jun 2022 5AM 4 min

Maximizing enjoyment of family meals

Family meals around the dinner table have an enormously beneficial and lasting effect. If families can understand the value of slowing down for long enough to gather around the table and share conversations with one another, it would go a long way to nurturing a sense of belonging and connectedness…
7 Jun 2022 6PM 4 min

Feminine preferences and male sexual identity

Identity labels are rarely helpful, especially where personality and sexuality are concerned. The term "gay" is just an artificial mental construct: a word that means what other people say it means – nothing more, nothing less. We’ll discuss male sexual identity and help a young man to understand true masculinity,…
6 Jun 2022 6PM 4 min

Developing healthy self-esteem in children

As parents, we want to give our kids the best jumping-off point we can. If we nurture a healthy self-image in our children, we will have pretty much achieved our goal, because the rest will follow.
6 Jun 2022 9AM 4 min

Co-parenting with an uncooperative ex-spouse

When a mother and father parent with the same agenda and discipline style, a happier and safer environment is created for the children as they understand their boundaries. When parents are divided in their parenting style it can cause a lot of problems with kids being confused and lacking the…
3 Jun 2022 9AM 4 min

child seems to sleep too much

Have you experienced the battle of waking your child up in the morning to go to school? Sometimes even an early riser will procrastinate getting out of bed with various delay tactics. The good news is: You’re not alone.
2 Jun 2022 9AM 4 min

Child or teen disturbed by exposure to pornography

Should I go back to my dad's house after seeing some pictures of naked women in "dirty" magazines that he left lying around the living room? This experience was very upsetting to me. My parents are divorced, but I have a close relationship with my father and spend every other…
1 Jun 2022 9AM 4 min

Suspicions of babysitter abuse

Parents, imagine the gut-wrenching feeling you would have at the thought of a babysitter abusing your child. Leaving our children in the care of another requires a sense of trust in that person, so when that trust becomes questionable there’s the reason for major concern.
31 May 2022 9AM 4 min

Shy and Introverted Adolescent

When should a parent be concerned about a child’s introverted behavior? On the next Family Matters we’ll be discussing the possibilities of deeper issues related to a child isolating him or herself,
30 May 2022 6AM 4 min

Maintaining Relationships with Children after Divorce

It’s not easy for a divorced parent to stay well connected with his or her children when the court has ruled custody in favor of your ex, and you only see the children for a day or two every other week.
27 May 2022 6AM 4 min

Father to be anxious about cost and responsibility

Becoming a parent for the first time might cause you to feel a little anxious, or maybe even scared to the bone. But the unknown of your next adventure with your offspring shouldn’t have to cause you sleepless nights, wracking your brain as to how you’re going to manage the…
26 May 2022 6AM 4 min

Friend requests from old flames on social media

Is it wise and healthy for your marriage when you accept ‘friend’ requests from old flames on social media? Some might say, there’s absolutely no harm in staying in touch, while others may have stories to tell of those online friendships causing havoc in their marriages.
25 May 2022 6AM 4 min

Developing effective communications patterns with kids

Every parent wants their child to listen well, follow instructions and be able to have a meaningful conversation with them. But, in so many homes, there are nagging parents and defiant children facing up against one another on a daily basis. We’ll talk about ways to effectively communicate with kids.
24 May 2022 5AM 4 min

Wife no longer attracted to overweight husband

How do I deal with the reality of having lost all physical attraction for my severely overweight husband? I've tried to be encouraging and understanding. I've made healthy meals for us, offered to exercise with him, and listened empathetically to his frustrations for years, but he hasn't shown interest in…
22 May 2022 6PM 4 min

Explaining porn addiction to kids

Do you think you’d be able to admit to your kids that you’re in the process of getting help for porn addiction? Most parents will be saying an emphatic “No” to that question. But what if we told you that being open and honest with your children in matters such…
18 May 2022 6PM 4 min
292 – 312