Please note that the opinions, views and recommendations expressed on this online community do not necessarily represent those of Focus on the Family. Therefore, we encourage you to exercise discernment and wisdom when reading the comments.

Once a message is submitted, it will be reviewed for content, length and privacy (but not for grammar or spelling). Once approved by our moderators, it will then be posted. Sometimes there is a delay in posting, especially on weekends and holidays. Also, there will be times when we feel it's important to respond behind the scenes to a user due to the nature of the situation shared.

As our online communities have developed, we've discovered a need to establish guiding principles for our users, and we request that you adhere to the following:

• In an effort to foster civil dialogue, community users are required to communicate with the respect, love and understanding that Christ would expect from us all.
• Vulgar or graphic language is not permitted.
• Avoid making derogatory comments that personally attack others or are potentially libelous or slanderous. This includes other users, as well as your spouse and children. It's important that our online community uphold the sanctity of the marriage relationship and foster respect among family members.
• Because it is our goal to create a conversational atmosphere in our community, refrain from addressing topics that you would not be willing to bring up with a close, Christian friend or mentor. Also, please strive to maintain a tone like that you would use when speaking to a valued friend.
• Off-topic posts that go outside the scope of or move the conversation away from the original intent of the blog or forum will be declined.
• Extended debates between users will not be allowed.
• As an additional measure to provide safety to our online community, we will not facilitate or allow private contacts between users.
• We reserve the right to close the conversation when deemed appropriate by locking the thread.
• When posting about sexual matters, comments should be discreet, appropriate, and not overly detailed.
• The discussion of medical or legal topics that should be handled in a professional setting will not be allowed.
• No photos, videos, surveys, solicitations, personal research, or marketing are permitted.
• Links from Focus communities to other websites are only permitted when they are related to the topic being discussed.
• Please do not post last names, e-mail addresses, or any other information in the body of your post that might allow unscrupulous visitors improper access to you and your family.
• Copyrighted materials cannot be posted.  This includes song lyrics, articles from various publications or websites, photos, videos, etc.  However, you may post short quotes from such articles, so long as you are commenting specifically on that quote, and you provide attribution for the quote.
• Comments on Focus on the Family's Online Community may not refer specifically to any current electoral candidate, or any measure on a current ballot – at any level of local, state, or federal government. Focus on the Family is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity, and therefore cannot take a position on specific votes. Nor can we display any such statements on our websites. Likewise, we cannot discuss personal viewpoints on political candidates or ballot measures. Any posts that violate these rules will not be approved. The only exception will be when a blog entry is sponsored by CitizenLink (http://www.citizenlink.com/).

**While we desire to approve as many posts as possible, we reserve the right to delete any posts for any reason whatsoever at our sole discretion.

We welcome your participation in our online communities! If you would like personal help regarding a specific need, our staff would be honored to come alongside you. Simply e-mail us at help@focusonthefamily.com.  Also, we have licensed counselors (http://family.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12/kw/counselors) available to offer assistance.