Give the Gift of Connection
Category Discipline
Why We Think “Showing Kids What’s What” Doesn’t Actually Work
Rick was feeling impatient with the way his wife was dealing with their children’s misbehavior. He shared his thoughts with me during a recent conversation: “I’ve always been the kind of dad that likes to get things done efficiently. When…
How to Help Kids Like Each Other… with Photos!
Ever feel like the moments where your kids actually like each other are few and far between? Or like deep down they love each other, but they forget as their connection gets lost in the shuffle of sibling conflict and…
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…
Why This Mom Loved Her Messy, Lopsided Christmas Tree
While this “creative” design might have your fingers itching to straighten those dangling garlands, the mom whose tree it is decided she liked it how it was. Why? It was decorated by her children, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a…
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…
5 Awesome Ideas to Make the Most of Your Family’s Christmas
It’s that time again — time for Christmas carols, snowflakes, and Advent candles, but also time for hectic schedules, slushy boots, and the Christmas cookie sugar crash. Christmas (and Advent) can be a wonderful time to share meaningful connection as…
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…
How to Find the Good… Even in Misbehavior!
“…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute – if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise – let your mind dwell on these things”…
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…