Give the Gift of Connection
Tag responsibility
Is Your Child Lazy?
Lazy Child, Lazy Adult? As parents, we hope to raise children that turn into productive, helpful adults, but the path to getting there can seem rough. Getting kids to do daily chores; like making their beds, helping with meals, or…
How to Help Tattling Kids
“She called me a name!” “He hit me!” When one child “tells on” another, we call that “tattling.” It can be difficult to confront the kid who feels the need to expose all the other kids’ misbehaviors. Actually, tattling tends to…
Teach Kids Responsibility
Kids make messes. Parents ask and ask (and it really sounds like nagging) their kids to take responsibility for their things and it seems like it is hard to come up with a strategy that works. At Connected Families, we believe…
A Connected Family Story
One of the cool things about Connected Families is the people on our staff. We all understand that parenting takes a lot of work, a lot of intentional planning, and that the outcome is worth it. We, too, have been…
Equip Kids To Apologize Like They Mean It
When kids fight, parents typically try to resolve things by telling the kids they have to say they’re sorry. While parents may be aware that this can be a very shallow, “go through the motions” sort of consequence for kids, they may…
Are We Setting Our Kids Up to Be Uncooperative?
Parents can get in ruts. That’s true for me and I’m pretty sure it is for you, too. One rut that is familiar to many is the hurried race out the door because “we’re going to be late!!” Or how…
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…
My Kids’ Messes Drive Me CRAZY!
For years I have struggled with the mess that our lively, spontaneous, creative, frequently disorganized children made at high speed. I used to call it “Trash and Dash.” Since their father has somewhat more “relaxed” standards of housekeeping than I…
“If My Kid’s a Slob Now, How Will He Hold a Job Later?”
“When I look at my son’s messy room, it puts a knot in my stomach.” Joe was insightful and honest as he described his emotions about his son’s room. “Just the sight of his dresser drawers hanging out with stuff…
Whose Problem Is It?
Deep inside most parents is a strong urge to control their children. It may seem beneficial or even “work” for a few years, but there are diminishing returns if the goal of control is not given up significantly by…