Orange Parents

All it took was an ice cream cone. When my son first started playing baseball, he was scared to try and hit the ball. He didn’t want to miss. So, we bribed him—and it worked! So of course, you can guess what he said after that first single: “If I get to second base next… [read more]

When our kids were younger, I was working long hours at the church I pastored. My wife was working part time.  The kids were in swimming, music and seasonal sports. And to top it all off, one of them was experiencing night terrors. You know, the kind of terrors where your child screams bloodcurdling cries… [read more]

By Gina McClain
Our oldest son is in the 6th grade.  He’s close to exiting his pre-teen season and fully embrace the realm of teen-hood. (This is a great opportunity for you to pray for me.)
Over the past year he’s grown into a young man that loves his hair, girls and his own opinion.  In fact,… [read more]

When I was a kid my mom taught us a song about a snail named Herbert who needed to learn to have patience. Being the awesome big sister that I was, I often sang it to my brother whenever he was getting impatient. Of course, this always helped to bring him patience—not! Soon, this silly… [read more]

I remember the day I turned thirteen. I was thinking of my red three speed bike with the banana seat, sissy bar and raised handlebars. I loved it, but I knew it was a kids’ bike and soon I’d have to ride a ten speed like every other teenager. I wish I could say I… [read more]

By Gina McClain
I grew up watching The Brady Bunch. As part of our after-school television line up, Brady Bunch reruns were a favorite past time for me. From Marsha’s broken nose, to the infamous broken vase incident. . .I loved the Brady family. There was a simplicity to life portrayed among the Brady’s. Raising six… [read more]

Guest Post by Tahni Cullen
“Pray for others that you may be healed,” (James 5:16). These words wouldn’t leave me alone. I really needed some encouragement––a prayer, a note, anything. From somebody. From an “other.” Six months into my Josiah’s autism diagnosis, I was enticed by waves of despair.
I needed someone to listen, to ask about… [read more]

April is National Autism Awareness Month. Autism is  a condition which is now thought to affect a staggering 1 in 88 children. With so many parents and families affected by an increasing rate of autism, we wanted to highlight a few stories this week on Orange Parents, not only to bring HOPE to those families… [read more]

Her voice was a whisper, “What are you doing?” I whispered back, “Not much, what are you doing?” In a guilty voice, she explained she was calling from the garage because she was hiding from her five-year-old twin boys, who had just removed the bedroom door from its hinges while having a ‘quiet time.’ … [read more]