A preschooler's absorbent mind can learn just about anything, so the question is, what to teach them. Many parents opt for early academics, but studies show that this may make them bored when they start school, and that other kids will catch up by age 7 or 8. A better option is to let kids have a real childhood, free from the school pressure that will come soon enough. The thing to focus on with preschoolers is the emotional and social skills or "joys" that will make them happy people. On today's show, the Eyres talk about their 8th book, Teaching Children Joy, and how it came to be written and how it started Joy Schools, a do-it-yourself preschool that has now been practiced by more than 300,000 families.

Perhaps the single most important (and influential) thing we can do for our children is to teach them to know Jesus Christ. Nothing else will prepare them as well to make good decisions and to live to their potential than a clear vision of who Christ was and is. It was these thoughts that motivated the Eyres to write their sixth book, which asks its readers to focus on one single, specific aspect or facet of Jesus's character each week of the year, particularly on each Sunday. The Eyres wrote this book while they had the stewardship of 600 young missionaries in London, England in the hopes that those young people, along with their own children, would become interested in knowing as much as they possibly could about Christ and His life and ministry and about "what manner of man" He was and is.

Perhaps the single most important (and influential) thing we can do for our children is to teach them to know Jesus Christ. Nothing else will prepare them as well to make good decisions and to live to their potential than a clear vision of who Christ was and is. It was these thoughts that motivated the Eyres to write their sixth book, which asks its readers to focus on one single, specific aspect or facet of Jesus's character each week of the year, particularly on each Sunday. The Eyres wrote this book while they had the stewardship of 600 young missionaries in London, England in the hopes that those young people, along with their own children, would become interested in knowing as much as they possibly could about Christ and His life and ministry and about "what manner of man" He was and is.

How we talk about (and how we think about) death can have a significant impact on our children. Clearly it is easier for people of faith and belief in a hereafter to think positively about death, but with the right mindset, we all can think of death more as a kind of birth and bring a comforting long-range perspective into our families' lives. Today the Eyres talk about the fifth book they wrote, titled, The Birth that We Call Death and they share some of the wisdom and insight of great thinkers from Shakespeare to Nathaniel Hawthorne to Benjamin Franklin on this subject that applies to us all and to our families.

How we talk about (and how we think about) death can have a significant impact on our children. Clearly it is easier for people of faith and belief in a hereafter to think positively about death, but with the right mindset, we all can think of death more as a kind of birth and bring a comforting long-range perspective into our families' lives. Today the Eyres talk about the fifth book they wrote, titled, The Birth that We Call Death and they share some of the wisdom and insight of great thinkers from Shakespeare to Nathaniel Hawthorne to Benjamin Franklin on this subject that applies to us all and to our families.

Today the Eyres talk about the subject of goal setting from a family and parenting perspective. Referencing a book they wrote called simply GOALS, they discuss the charting of a life course and the setting of corresponding plans via the sailing analogy of knowing your destination and then setting and trimming the sails in a way that will get you there. Of course it is the wind that propels the sailboat, and it is work that propels us toward our goals. And relationship goals are even more important than achievement goals. At this time of year, as a new school year begins, there are special opportunities to help our children set academic, extracurricular, and character goals. You can get an online copy of the book GOALS for free at EyresFreeBooks.com.

Today the Eyres talk about the subject of goal setting from a family and parenting perspective. Referencing a book they wrote called simply GOALS, they discuss the charting of a life course and the setting of corresponding plans via the sailing analogy of knowing your destination and then setting and trimming the sails in a way that will get you there. Of course it is the wind that propels the sailboat, and it is work that propels us toward our goals. And relationship goals are even more important than achievement goals. At this time of year, as a new school year begins, there are special opportunities to help our children set academic, extracurricular, and character goals. You can get an online copy of the book GOALS for free at EyresFreeBooks.com.

The third book the Eyres ever wrote was called The Discovery of Joy and it set the tone and the theme for much of their subsequent writing. In today's show, Richard and Linda tell the story behind that book and present the case that the pursuit of the deepest joys can become the foundation of family life and the key to lasting marriages and successful kids.

The third book the Eyres ever wrote was called The Discovery of Joy and it set the tone and the theme for much of their subsequent writing. In today's show, Richard and Linda tell the story behind that book and present the case that the pursuit of the deepest joys can become the foundation of family life and the key to lasting marriages and successful kids.

This week the Eyres continue their series on the core message of each of their 50 published books on family, parenting, marriage, and life balance. This is the second week in the series, and the focus is on their second book, titled RELATIONSHIPS, With Self, With Family, and With God.

The prime message of the book is that relationships are more important than achievements and deserve an equal or greater amount of time and mental energy. While achievement goals are often set with numbers and percentages and quantitative measurement, relationship goals are set with descriptive paragraphs about what you want a particular relationship (with spouse, or a child, or with God) to be like in five years.

Those who deliberately change their priorities from achievements to relationships will find ways to improve the one thing that, late in life, everyone wishes they had spent more time and effort on--the key RELATIONSHIPS of their life.

If, after listening to this podcast, you find yourself interested in the concepts of this book, you can get it for free on EyresFreeBooks.com.