Category Discipline
Tired of Not Feeling “Christian” Enough? This is for You.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13) I remember the sign on the men’s dorm wall during my freshman year at a Christian college. A spiritual disciplines checklist was posted…
What to Do When Kids Go Crazy? Do a Do-Over!
“I call the window seat!” “Nu-uhhh, it’s MY turn!” “No way!” “OW! Mom, she hit me!” Sometimes it can seem like the simplest interactions are the ones that explode out of nowhere. Getting out the door to school, getting in…
3 Powerful Steps to Redirect a Bored Kid
A thoughtful parent wrote us with the following question: How do I encourage my child to be more creative with his time? For example, not spending so much time on the computer or sitting in front of the television? This…
When Parenting Seems About to Boil Over
Today we’d like to introduce you to Joel and Amy. We’ve invited them to share their story of learning to parent their two sons. There is a wise old tale that is told about the frog in the pot. If…
Feeling Stuck? Move Toward the Struggling Child.
Parents often find themselves at a loss when kids are particularly discouraged or struggling. It can begin to feel hopeless when everything you’ve tried to motivate them past the challenge has failed. You may start to feel more and…
What do I do when my child just says no?
Recently we received this question from Michelle: I am struggling with a tween who often says no to my requests. She is a good girl most of the time, but she will be disrespectful to me and I have no…
Are We Teaching Our Kids to Be the Wrong Kind of Smart?
A recent article published in Time Magazine found that people with average IQ outperform people with high IQ 70% of the time. 90% of high performers have high emotional intelligence. Could it be we’re focusing way too much on one…
Your Parenting Skills Are Not the Most Important Thing. This Is.
Jesus said that “smart carpenters” build a sturdy house on solid rock. Then when the storms of life hit, nothing will move the house. This doesn’t mean storms won’t pelt the house from time to time, and even inflict some…
When You Want to Be Heard… Whisper
In our online course a parent once asked the following question: I see the difference you’re talking about between typical parenting and parenting with the four messages in mind… and I like the difference I see… here comes the BUT… what…
Why Does Communicating “You are Safe” Matter?
Recently we received this excellent and thoughtful question from David, a long-time follower of Connected Families, about why we have “You are SAFE with me” as our foundational message for parents to communicate to children: Why is ‘safe’ the foundation…