Tag: children cartoons

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Christmas holiday

The Third Sunday of Advent is about Joy

Advent Candles

Joy has been something we’ve all sought the last two years. We’ve kept hoping the pandemic would be over soon, only to realize more challenges were on the way. Where is our Christmas joy?

Last night, I saw a battle under a Christmas tree. An adult got a remote-controlled toy at a Christmas party. The children were thrilled and the adult allowed them to try it out.

One preschool boy was having a blast but was a little rough with it. When he steered the toy into a wall, the adult knew this wasn’t going to end well. So he took the toy from the boy. The boy’s joy quickly turned into a grinchy pouting match. It looked a little like this cartoon:

Cartoon of an annoyed girl and a boy with a santa hat

I’ve had a few tips in the past that are easy to implement when you’re giving advice, but challenging when you are in the midst of pacifying a preschooler with a wounded ego, and dashed Christmas hopes.

How to teach your kids about Christmas Joy

Joy can be challenging when things aren’t going our way. But when our faith is based on a foundation much stronger than our circumstances, it is possible! As we light the third candle of Advent this Sunday morning, we can remember there is someone coming who brings glad tidings of great joy!

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children's ministry cartoons church cartoons education

David, Goliath, and Flying Objects

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

When a lesson makes an impact, we tend to act it out. Whether we realize it or not, kids continually act out something they’ve learned through watching television, peers, or their families.

When a young child finishes watching a TV show, take some time to observe how it affects their play. Does it affect their imagination? Does it affect their actions and speech? Most times it does!

I remember getting into my dad’s pickup truck with my brother. We loved watching Star Trek. Somehow, we were able to convert that old jalopy into the bridge of the US Enterprise. Dad wasn’t too happy when he would get into his truck and discover that our play resulted in the pickup’s engine flooding. How else are you going to go Warp Factor Three without using the gas pedal?

As adults, we like to think we’re beyond that. But after you watch a news story about angry people, do you feel yourself getting a little angry? Does your work culture affect how you act at home? How about an effective sermon that inspires you to make a change or make worship a bigger priority?

We’re all affected by what we learn. Let’s be sure we’re learning the right lessons and not end up throwing things around the house!

It was good revisiting this cartoon. I drew it before but polished it up for this month.

Cartoon of two boys with flying toys overhead. One says, "When the preschoolers learn about David and Goliath, look out for flying objects!"

I drew this cartoon for the November 2022 CHOGNews.

Categories
creativity motivation

Thinking Outside the Cereal Box

Cartoon of a mom and a son at breakfast. The son says, "I want something different for breakfast. What about seven-layer bean dip?"

Across the county, Breakfast has been reclaimed! Until the lockdown, it was an infrequent meal that few of us ate because we thought we were too busy. If we did eat it, we gulped down a quick pastry or breakfast sandwich as we ran out the door. Now, most of us have time for the first meal. In fact, this event has caused breakfast cereal companies to increase their ad spend. Here is one part of the economy that is benefiting from all this fun!

Ads for breakfast foods a ray of sunshine for media amid coronavirus cutbacks.

New York Post

Yes, there are plenty of businesses and people that are suffering financially right now. However, there are probably other examples where businesses are thriving. Perhaps they are seeing an uptick when they were languishing a few months before.

It is easy to get into the mindset that the news portrays. Yes, there are still plenty of people affected by this. I have certainly felt the effects. However, We can also ask ourselves what does this moment make possible? What can you do now that you never would have before we were told to hunker down? What is a new skill or business venture that you can start? How can you show kindness and care to those in your community? What can you do to prepare for the reopening of businesses and travel?

One thing I would not recommend is trying a seven-layer bean dip for breakfast. It will make the rest of the day feel funky. Not that I’ve tried it before…

Cartoon of a mom and a son at breakfast. The son says, "I want something different for breakfast. What about seven-layer bean dip?"
Categories
motivation

Insurance and Assurances

Cartoon of a boy in bed. He says to his mom, "But if we have health insurance, why didn't it keep me from getting sick?"

It’s been a difficult week for the United States and the world. Some have insurance. Few have assurances when people will get to go out again and mingle. It is a tough time for parents who have to juggle the normal challenges of raising a family with a pandemic and a little cabin fever thrown in for good measure.

This morning, I hear birds singing outside my window. They don’t have a clue all the stress humans are experiencing right now. They are carrying on with their spring rituals. They are finding food and building nests in anticipation of the little ones.

There have never been full assurances that life would be the same as it ever was. Things have changed this year, and there will be more changes. But life will go on. There will still be joyous times even in the midst of the challenges. There will be choirs singing, kids playing sports and joyful reunions someday soon. Just hang on today while we negotiate social distancing and how our health insurance plans actually work. We can do this together!

Cartoon of a boy in bed. He says to his mom, "But if we have health insurance, why didn't it keep me from getting sick?"
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K! Magazine Kidzmatter Magazine Magazine Parenting Cartoons

Does Anyone Remember Separation Anxiety?

Cartoon of a crying mom clinging to a boy. The caption says, "It's been hard for Chloe to serve since she began experiencing separation anxiety."
Published in "K! Kidzmatter Magazine"

When my wife took a sabbatical from ministry in 2014, she spent a lot of time at home. Our kids were in their teens and twenties, so it was basically her and the dog when I was at work and the kids were doing their own thing. The dog started to get used to having her owner at home. Separation anxiety was nowhere in sight.

But when she went back to the church, the poor dog had a nervous breakdown. When we came home, we would find her hiding and shaking. When we went to bed, she would bark until we took her upstairs and into our bedrooms. Before, she was quite content to be in a downstairs bathroom.

We took her to the vet to be sure she didn’t have a physical problem. The vet confirmed she was just fine, but experiencing separation anxiety. He suggested we could give her anti-anxiety medicine. I thanked him and said we would wait and see. Eventually, the dog got used to being the queen of her castle once again.

We live in Ohio today and are entering the third week of staying in place. I really feel for the parents who have had to figure out how to keep their kids busy when school was canceled. Many of us are working from home too. Separation anxiety may be the last thing on parents’ and pet owners’ minds these days.

But there will come a day when things get back to normal again. We will get to venture out to work and school one day. Let’s look forward to the day when separation anxiety may be the biggest concern on our minds.

How have you made the best of being at home? Let us know in the comments.

Cartoon of a crying mom clinging to a boy. The caption says, "It's been hard for Chloe to serve since she began experiencing separation anxiety."
Published in “K! Kidzmatter Magazine”