Give the Gift of Connection
Jim Jackson
We Say “Stop!” They say, “NO!”
Working with parents for over twenty years, we consistently see the following scenarios play out with kids of all ages: Parents say “Do this!” Kids refuse. Parents say “Stop!” Kids do it anyway. Parents say, “Come!” Kids dash the other…
What Changed My Mind About Dad
Dear Connected Families family, I write to you today with a heavy, but hopeful, heart. The reason? My dad passed away on October 14th, and his funeral was October 25th. His passing was expected, but came much faster than we…
Two Questions That Defuse Almost Any Conflict
After working with parents for over twenty years we have learned that there are two critical questions that help guide children toward wisdom. The problem is that parents are so focused on stopping the problem that they frequently miss the…
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
Spoiled kids are in the news again – or rather parents who spoil kids. In 2012 we wrote about the problem of entitlement and offered some ways to solve it. We even created an online course to equip parents to…
Parent or Friend? Can You Be Both to Your Child?
“Kids don’t need us to be their friends, they need us to be their parents!” The dad huffed, frustrated that I had suggested his teen daughter might be seeing her mom and dad more as enemies than allies. So what…
Kids Are Like Puppies
Little kids are kind of like puppies. They usually love unconditionally and are often forgiving when parents make mistakes of all kinds. Mom nags, child whines, they get through it and get back to normal quickly. Dads yell, kids cry, but…
What if Alexa recorded my every parenting move?
For some reason, I have always behaved my best when people watch me, unless those people were my kids when they needed discipline. That’s when my ugliness most commonly emerged. While God has helped me grow and change, even today…
Loving the PARENT of Your Reality
As you head into the holiday season there’s a good chance you’ll spend more time with your extended family than you typically would. With that in mind, we invite you to observe and think about your relationship with your parents…
“You have chubby little legs!”
We can joke about it now. Mostly. But, at the time, I saw it as one of my worst parenting moments and I worried I’d wrecked my daughter forever. There she was, a sweet fourth grader who I’d done my…
How Do I Get This Behavior to Stop?
The first dad was angry I answered his phone call and heard a wide assortment of issues. His son was hanging out with a group of friends the dad did not like at all. He’d caught his son stealing, lying,…