Category Connect
What Tone are You Setting for Your Home?
A mom of three kids ages 10 to 14 emailed me this story this week: A friend once told me she worked to greet her children with enthusiasm, even if they had just come into the kitchen from the living room. I…
When Connecting with Kids Just Feels… Awkward
Have you ever tried to connect with your child and just felt… awkward? This is not uncommon. Parents sometimes express to us that connection can be awkward, such as, “We just aren’t a huggy family.” Feelings of awkwardness around one form…
What Do I Do If I Don’t Like My Child?
Let’s face it: sometimes you find yourself saying, “I don’t like my child right now.” In Scripture, children are described as a heritage, a reward, a blessing from God, and lots of kids in the family means lots of blessing!…
Why You Don’t Need a New Parenting Strategy
John was fed up. He told me that everything he’d tried had failed. No matter what consequences or logic John put in place, his 6th grade son Ben just wouldn’t take responsibility for getting himself up and moving and out the…
Love – No Matter What!
For I am convinced that neither arguing nor defiance, neither sibling conflict nor disrespect, neither bad grades nor failure, neither whining nor lying, neither forgetfulness nor messes, nor any other misbehavior will be able to separate you from my love…
Don’t Get Busted by Your Kids: Watch, Ask, and Listen!
A mother of five told us that her older children once “busted” her and her husband with an insightful observation: “We know you’re not listening when you say, ‘Wow, that’s great!’” The children were able to discern that the parents…
“It was hard to be mad when you were so kind to me.”
In my role as a parenting speaker I do a lot of role plays with people in the audience. Though I had seen a lot of yelling, whining, and laughter from these role plays, I had never seen tears —…
Want Kids to Value Your Advice? Try This.
Caroline was thoughtful as I described how our young adult kids call from time to time and ask us to help them think through a situation. “After they describe their dilemma, we usually ask them thoughtful questions to guide…
Communicate Love to Your Kids. Use Words When Necessary.
When kids melt down, we often advise parents to respond with empathy, by saying out loud what the kiddo might be feeling. But sometimes we can communicate everything we need to — without words.
The Best Vacation Ever
Tom was worried about taking his family on a short mission trip to a South Dakota Indian reservation. He told me, “We’re really interested in this trip. We think it would be good for us and for our kids. But…