Tag authority vs. control
We Say “Stop!” They say, “NO!”
Working with parents for over twenty years, we consistently see the following scenarios play out with kids of all ages: Parents say โDo this!โ Kids refuse. Parents say โStop!โ Kids do it anyway. Parents say, โCome!โ Kids dash the otherโฆ
How to Deal with Kids’ Potty Talk
Few things get parentsโ attention as quickly as kidsโ potty talk! Recently I worked with a family whose two boys, Will and Logan (ages 5 and 3), were frequently finding hilarious entertainment in each other’s potty humor. But parents John andโฆ
What to Do When I Don’t Approve of My Child’s Friends
Peer relationships carry increasing influence as children grow up. And sometimes, these relationships can be reason for parents to feel increasingly anxious. Kids may choose good friends or they may not. Parents, wanting whatโs best for their kids, have aโฆ
How Do Your Kids Feel When You Discipline Them?
As a typically impatient, “get it done” sort of dad, I found myself in our early parenting years using my big voice and strong presence to move my kids into action. This approach worked great for me! …But my wife Lynne,โฆ
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. Whenโฆ
The most sure-fire road to respectful kids!
ย โKnock it off! Stop it! Get over here, NOW!โ These are familiar phrases for most parents. When kids act up we get frustrated. We get demanding and even disrespectful. Kids may comply with our demands in the short runโฆ
Five Strategies for Gaining Your Kidsโ Respect
Parents usually have good desires for their kids. They want kids to be respectful, responsible, faithful, obedient, and so on. Butย when parents make these behaviors their primary goals for parenting, their kids tend to resist. Why?ย Kids tend to resist becauseโฆ
Want a Responsible Teen? Start Now!
I just watched a video from a youth ministry leader. He intentionally stated one reason it’s so hard to relate to teens, and unintentionally stated the real reason. His intended explanation is that teens are hard to relate toโฆ
6 Teenage Survival Tips that Don’t Totally Suck
In our work coaching hundreds of parents of teens over the years, we’ve hit on six themes that draw the parent-child relationship closer. Read through and let us know in the comments below which of the tips you want toโฆ
Is “Being the Parent” Actually Good Parenting?
I just read another decent parenting book by a well-known author. It’s got some good ideas in it about how to manage kidsโ misbehavior. But like so many of the parenting books I read, it is laced with what Iโฆ