Give the Gift of Connection
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A Connected Family Story
One of the cool things about Connected Families is the people on our staff. We all understand that parenting takes a lot of work, a lot of intentional planning, and that the outcome is worth it. We, too, have been…
Are Little Kids Able to Resolve Conflict Peacefully?
Our mission is to help families find “peace and connection at home.” Sarah Donatelle, mom of two, took the Connected Families Siblings Conflict online course, and told us about how she was able to teach her children to reconcile with…
Respond to Sibling Conflict with Wisdom and Confidence (Video link)
Kids fight. Sibling conflict is a reality in just about every family. It is hard to know how to parent with wisdom and confidence in the middle of a battle over who has the most space in the backseat or…
The Power of Defiance
Jesus was defiant. He defied Satan’s temptation. He defied the religious structures of the day. He defied legalism. He even defied death. One of our problems as parents is that we treat our kids’ defiance as if it is entirely…
Is Your Child Entitled to a Trophy?
A young mom queried me intently after our talk on Entitlement in kids. “What do you do about the culture around us that guarantees that every child is a “winner” at participating and receives a trophy, even for last place?”…
What to Do When Kids are Focused on Making Money
Can it ever be a good thing for kids to focus on making money? In response to our post about kids wanting things NOW, a mom posted the following question about how to deal with a young child who is…
When My Child Asked for an iPod, Here’s What I Said…
In this article I wrote about how my junior high daughter creatively and proactively asked for an iPod by preparing a well-thought-out list of answers to concerns she thought I might have. Here’s the rest of the story! My daughter’s proactive…
My Daughter Asked for an iPod Again… But This Time Was Different.
My daughter approached me with a typical question — one I’ve heard one hundred seventy-three times (but who’s counting). “Dad, can I have an iPod Touch?” But this time, her approach was different. She made a good pitch — she had…
Christians and the Elf On The Shelf
Elf on the Shelf, Reindeer in Here*, or a host of other Christmas characters may have your head spinning. As Christians, is there value in these characters or do they take away from the true, grace-filled, birth of Jesus at…
The Most Important Key to a Child’s Success
Pretty much every parent wants their children to succeed in life. When talking about teaching kids to be successful, parents often want to jump right to tactical issues like chores, homework, respect, and obedience. These are important issues, and we’ve written…