12 Misbehaviors and the God-Given Gifts Behind Them
2All talents or gifts can be used for God’s purposes, but they can also be distorted by selfishness and sin and used to serve misbehavior. When this happens, the gift is still present, but it’s gone awry. Here are some examples of common misbehaviors and some gifts/talents that tend to drive them.
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The Awesome Thing about Your Kid’s Misbehavior…
Stopping a misbehavior and teaching the right behavior is not necessarily a bad goal, but it focuses only on what’s immediately wrong. If you want your kids to grow a heart that values what’s right, it’s important to notice and affirm anything you can – even if it’s hidden behind what’s wrong.
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When Things Go Wrong, Don’t Fix the Problems!
Jeremy and Anna were frustrated about the chaotic dinners at their house. It was definitely a “herding cats” experience to get their two boys to the table and then a “managing monkeys” experience once they all got there. Their younger son Ayden sometimes got quite …
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What’s REALLY Behind Kids’ Misbehavior?
Have you ever noticed that some kids argue more persuasively than others? Or that some kids’ schemes are actually quite creative? Or that some kids’ resistance to our requests is so persistent that we actually give in to them sometimes?
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3 Steps for Success in Christmas Chaos!
Holidays and other gatherings can be a lot of fun — but they can also be busy and overstimulating for kids! Being proactive about preparing your children for challenging situations in advance can go a long way toward keeping the peace and teaching your child …
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Dealing With Rejection: A Surprising Use for a $20 Bill
Kids are rejected from every side. Sometimes the rejection or criticism comes from a teacher that just doesn’t “get” your kid. Sometimes it comes from an angry family member. Sometimes it’s rejection from peers, gossiping, getting picked last in gym class. These daily rejections can …
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Is There “Miracle Grow” for Good Behavior?
The energy we give to kids based on their behavior is like fertilizer. Whether it’s behavior we want from our kids or behavior we don’t want, our energy feeds it for future growth. To fertilize desired behavior requires thoughtfulness. We hope this simple acronym helps …
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Cooperation Made Easy! (…At least this time.)
A few years ago, I took my two young nephews camping. Just the three of us. One morning I got up early to think and pray about our day. The previous night had been fun but exhausting, so I enjoyed the refreshing solitude, focused my mind …
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How to Turn Misbehavior Into Success!
Few watching Jonathan Horton faithfully anchor the 2012 US Men’s Gymnastics team would guess that, apparently, he was quite a squirrelly youngster! But “squirrelly” is definitely the right word — as the video above describes, he climbed to the top of a store shelf as …
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Your Kids Will Prove You Right!
Today we are delighted to share with you a guest post by our eldest son, Daniel Schulz-Jackson (yes, THAT Daniel!). Daniel has always loved to play, and he still enjoys it now that he’s a “grown-up”. He is also the webmaster for Connected Families and …
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How to Peel Your Kids Off the Screen
It’s halfway through the summer, and you’re finding yourself in power struggles over screen time with your kids. Why can’t they simply obey you and get off the TV/video game/internet respectfully — when asked — with no whining, complaining, manipulating, negotiating, or otherwise driving you …
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How to Discover Great Solutions to Your Parenting Challenges
Terrell and Janet were visibly tired and discouraged. “Bedtime with our intense son falls apart almost every night! As he resists, we get exasperated with him and end up blaming each other. It’s so frustrating because we’re out of ideas about how to fix this …
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What Kind Of Praise Do Kids Need?
The Why, What, and How of Effectively Praising our Children — Part 2 of 3 Michael was struggling with homework, night after night. “This is too hard!! I’m so stupid!” His mom kept trying to encourage him, ”C’mon, you know you’re a smart kid!” Little did …
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Avoiding Those Predictable Meltdowns
One of the reasons young kids have predictable meltdowns is simply because parents set them up by unintentionally “predicting” the meltdown. We see this happen particularly during common, everyday transitions, like getting ready to leave the house, cleaning up toys, mealtime or bedtime. Here’s how …
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