Category Discipline
Does Giving Time Outs Actually Help Your Child?
I distinctly remember years ago sitting in a pre-adoption class through our agency and silently scoffing when the presenter suggested during discipline situations to take a “time-in” with your child rather than send them to their room for a “time-out.”…
Is Kids’ Misbehavior Actually Bad?
We have been trained to think in black-and-white terms about a lot of things. Kids’ misbehavior is one of them. When kids misbehave we say to ourselves and to our kids, “That was bad! It needs to stop!” The opposite…
How do I get my son to stop talking back?
How do I get my 7-year-old son to stop talking back to everything we say? He is always right and we are always wrong! … We try discipline, taking away some of his toys, etc. but nothing seems to work.…
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 more…
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…