Category Discipline
3 Signs of Unhelpful Consequences… and How to Fix Them!
ยฟPrefieres leer en espaรฑol? ยกHaz clic aquรญ! โYouโre stupid!โ says the frustrated child. The parent feels annoyed, even a bit angry and responds, โYou canโt talk to me that way! Youโre grounded for the rest of the day! You goโฆ
Skiing, Tears, and Grace
At a recent ski meet I found myself twice in tears for people I’ve never met.ย The first time was when a young competitor “skied out,” meaning he missed a gate and was disqualified from the race. Nearby his parents gaspedโฆ
Stressful Times Lead to Fertile Hearts
Painting pictures in my mind has been very helpful in my parenting journey. For example, when Iโm upset and feel like my head is going to explode I imagine a balloon in my lungs filling and releasing air. When myโฆ
Don’t stuff your kids’ feelings
Kids usually do the best they know how to express their feelings. The best they can do is usually quite immature and unrefined. A problem occurs when, instead of validating our kidsโ best efforts to express their feelings, we minimize,โฆ
How to Not Take Sides When Siblings Fight
In our family, one of the realities we face is siblings who fight. I tend to want to stop my children’s rivalry in its tracks, but I have found that I sometimes contribute to the problem rather than solve it. Ultimately, I reallyโฆ
Why Conflicts are Sometimes Just the Tip of the Iceberg…
Sometimes conflict with our kids can seem to arise out of nowhere. Or, a conversation that seemed to be over something relatively minor can explode with little warning into a full-fledged battle. Why does this happen? A lot of theโฆ
How to Turn a Parenting Fail into a Parenting Win
It was a Sunday evening. I was emotionally and physically done for the day and looking forward to a quiet house. Suddenly I overheard squabbling about who was the rightful owner of a large stuffed panda bear. My engagement withโฆ
10 Best on the Connected Families Blog 2014
We can hardly believe itโs 2015 already! Before we dive into a year of new blog posts, we thought weโd dwell for just a moment on some of your favorites from 2014. Here are the ten most-clicked parenting tips ofโฆ
Some Practical Tips for a Truly Christ-filled Christmas
Whether youโre feeling totally frazzled or totally prepared, here are some of our favorite parenting tips to help you and your family not only survive but find connection, faith, and the peace of Christ through this Christmas season.
How do you grow when youโve blown it?
Lynne and I blew it a lot. We had a lot of great moments as a young family, but we also had a lot of bad moments – the kind of stuff that over time can lead to growing disconnectionโฆ