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Tag respect
To Spank or Not to Spank?
If you work with Christian parents, it’s tempting to stay far away from the spanking debate. There are the “never spank” parents, the “immediate obedience or get spanked” parents, and everything in-between. The question over whether to spank or not…
Parent or Friend? Can You Be Both to Your Child?
“Kids don’t need us to be their friends, they need us to be their parents!” The dad huffed, frustrated that I had suggested his teen daughter might be seeing her mom and dad more as enemies than allies. So what…
Kids Are Like Puppies
Little kids are kind of like puppies. They usually love unconditionally and are often forgiving when parents make mistakes of all kinds. Mom nags, child whines, they get through it and get back to normal quickly. Dads yell, kids cry, but…
“I’m the Parent. I Don’t HAVE to Say Please”
Have you heard ungrateful demands (like the ones below) from kids who seem to expect you to drop your life in order to take care of them? “Mom! Where’s dinner?” “Dad, I need a ride to the gym!” “Bring…
“I Was Meeting HIS Disrespect with MY Disrespect”
November is adoption/foster care awareness month. We often have the privilege of coaching parents who have built their families through adoption. Even though adoption can add intensity and complexity, the challenges adoptive families face are ones we can all relate…
Building True Respect and Teamwork
Most of us agree that respect is an important skill to build in children which will empower them for their entire life. Whether it is for future work or family relationships, having the ability to set aside frustrations and grievances out of…
When Kids Say “I Hate You!” How Can Parents Respond?
“I hate you!” There are certainly plenty of parents who have heard those disrespectful words. Some parents are deeply hurt (“I can’t believe you would say that, after all I do…”) while others get intensely angry (“It’s not okay to…
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…
The most sure-fire road to respectful kids!
“Knock it off! Stop it! Get over here, NOW!” 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 run…
Five Strategies for Gaining Your Kids’ Respect
Parents usually have good desires for their kids. They want kids to be respectful, responsible, faithful, obedient, and so on. But when parents make these behaviors their primary goals for parenting, their kids tend to resist. Why? Kids tend to resist because…