Discipline that Connects™: Four Powerful Messages All Kids Long to Hear
0This post is part of a series on “Discipline That Connects™: Four Powerful Messages All Kids Long to Hear”. Over the next four weeks we will expand on four powerful messages that parents can focus on as Biblical goals when discipline challenges hit the fan. …
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Teenagers, Sass, and Life that Is Truly Life
“Are you going to help me or not?” I snapped at Daniel, our fifteen year-old-son. He’d been asking for the past hour to go to a friend’s house. I kept dodging his request while also badgering him to enlist his help in a backyard project …
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One of Our Biggest Parenting Mistakes…
One of our biggest parenting mistakes is to try to get kids to behave right for the wrong reasons. Now it’s a good thing to want our kids to behave responsibly, and to internalize the value of responsibility. But parents tend to turn this desire …
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Kids that “Just Don’t Care!”
“When we confront Devin about his behavior, he just acts like it’s not a big deal or blames someone else,” stated Patty. She and Carl were convinced that their ten-year-old son’s frequent lies and defensiveness were another sign that he didn’t care about them and …
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Talking with Kids about Tough Issues
I remember a “tough” conversation I wanted to have with our third grade son, Daniel. I wasn’t very happy about the company he was starting to keep. His behavior was getting worse as he hung out with what I concluded must be bad company. So …
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Regroup & Resolve: How Humble Pie Can Help Your Family
Every parent fails to deal perfectly with every parenting situation. In other words, we all screw up sometimes! Along the way we’ve discovered that what’s far more important than handling every parenting situation perfectly is to regroup, and resolve well. For it’s in resolving well …
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When Kids Reject Affection, Don’t Give Up!
Parents love to connect with their children. But it’s not always so easy. Some children (whether tots or teens) respond to their parents’ affection in a way that says “‘Private property, No trespassing’ in this heart of mine.” The child may withdraw into a private world …
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Why Do Kids Obsess Over Video Games?
During my recent reading of “Boys Adrift” by Dr. Leonard Sax, I came across a letter that really grabbed my attention. The letter’s author is a 27-year-old doctoral student at Notre Dame — oh, and he’s addicted to video games. I don’t think you understand …
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The Gift of Not Giving: What Kids REALLY Want for Christmas
It’s not even Thanksgiving yet, but the Christmas aisles have been stocked for weeks already. Commercials for Black Friday “doorbusters” are rampant, and there is even controversy about some stores beginning their sales on Thanksgiving Day this year. The holiday materialism debate is not new: …
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Your Child Is Not Your Report Card
As the school year begins, here are a few brief reminders about responsibility and report cards. 1. Your child is not your report card. Many parents feel that their child’s poor behaviors mean that they are bad parents. Whether a child rudely rejects Grandma’s hotdish, …
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When Kids Fight
Siblings have conflict. Even a little pushing and shoving can be normal. The fighting itself is not necessarily the problem, it’s what kids learn about conflict and resolution over time that’s important. This blog addresses physical fighting between siblings, but the principles apply to verbal …
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Our Millennial Children
This infographic from OnlineSchools.com explores data on the technology-saturated environment in which our kids and teens are growing up. Things sure have changed since we were kids! Courtesy of: Online Schools For further reading on kids and technology, check out the following resources: What …
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“What Were You Thinking?!” or, How to Handle Impulsive Behavior
Q: How do I deal with my son’s often impulsive behavior? First and most importantly, everything we’re about to say is most effective when it’s rooted in a strong commitment for your son to walk in all that God has laid out for him (Eph. …
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Prep Your Kids for a Responsible School Year
When kids make poor choices at school, either behavioral or academic, parents usually get pretty upset. If we are honest, it’s mostly because we think our kids’ bad judgment or irresponsibility reflects poorly on US! But really, their behavior is THEIR “report card” and not …
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What Is Technology Doing to Us?
In the last few weeks, we’ve written about techniques for How to Peel Your Kids Off the Screen as well as 10 Screen-Free Ways to Have Fun With Your Kids. Then recently, this alarming article was brought to our attention, and we felt compelled to …
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“Why Can’t You Just Do What I Say?”
I’m often tempted to deal with my children in ways that gain immediate results. While this might get me what I want in the moment, it often leads to greater frustration later because I didn’t really teach the value behind the behavior. Forced instant compliance …
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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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Solving a Child’s Big Spiritual Problem
As parents who care for our children’s spiritual well-being, we try to teach them right and wrong and help them tackle whatever spiritual problems they encounter. However, other than the fact that they’re born into sin, it may well be that a child’s biggest spiritual …
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Pass the Peas, Pass the Faith!
How can you pass the values and faith while you pass the veggies and fruit? These are important questions. Ask your kids questions about their thoughts and ideas!
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Can Kids Learn Patience?
(Image © Andi Berger | Dreamstime.com) “The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8 What would your child do if you left him or her alone in a room with a fluffy, tempting white marshmallow (or …
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When Kids’ Disrespect Gets You Fuming!!!
The memory is vivid. Our eldest son Daniel was quick with his tongue when unhappy. Quick and usually ugly. One day I was sternly (…OK harshly) disciplining my daughter for laziness, and she burst into tears. Daniel emerged from his room brashly declaring, “Way to …
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The Talent Waiting To Be Discovered…. In Their Misbehavior!
John’s eyes pierced into mine. “No one has ever said anything like that to me!” he sternly said. I was sad that he’d lived nearly eighteen years and never heard the encouragement I’d offered. He was a jaded teen covered with piercings, tattoos, and tattered …
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Helping Kids Learn Independence – Teens & Tots
Building Insight And Independence Our teen-aged son had been working on a variety of “extra-credit” home projects for us as a way to earn money. (For younger parents, don’t miss Tips for Tots application below.) I definitely noticed some strengths and weaknesses in his work …
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Teaching Children To Wait
What would your child do if you left him or her alone in a room with a fluffy, tempting white marshmallow (or other preferred “sweet”)? The answer may be a convincing predictor of lifelong outcomes for your child. In a Stanford University study, a group …
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Tantrums From Tots To Teens
Quick Tip: Teen Tantrums Teen Tantrums are not all that different than two-year-old tantrums. So read the tip below and apply those principles. But there are some distinctions, too. Because teen tantrums are usually verbal, the teens frequently say things that “hook” our emotions. …
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