Need vs Want
I plopped down on the couch with a friend and lamented about my latest parenting challenge. “I just need to learn to calmly follow through with a clear consequence. I keep getting in this nagging cycle. I need to stop it!” My statement was similar to a hundred others I’d made or have heard other […]
Our top 5 posts of 2017
Every day, the staff of Connected Families goes to work, seeking the wisdom of God, and shaping our resources to fit what we think our readers, parents like you, need most. We spend hours writing, editing, and discussing our content, making sure we do our best to communicate God’s grace and truth for families. At […]
Christmas greetings from Connected Families
Messes. You’re likely surrounded by a bunch of them. Piles of dishes in the kitchen. Wrapping paper on the floor. Tired and over-sugared children. Stressed relationships. Just like parenting, Christmas is both messy, and beautiful. Today we celebrate Jesus coming into our messy, beautiful world. To meet us exactly where we are and to draw […]
Building Wisdom When Kids Want Gifts…and More Gifts
Parents love giving their kids good gifts. And kids love receiving them! As we explain in our Entitlement Fix Online Course, the gift-giving experience can be an exciting dopamine burst (our body’s reward/pleasure chemical) for everyone! It can be fun at first, but over time the joy can quickly give way to a sense of entitlement. […]
Questions to Put the THANKS Back in Thanksgiving
“So, kids, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?” you ask. “My family, my house, my friends, my dog and Jesus.” (Same answers as last year….) If you think your kids might be open to some deeper thinking this year, we’ve provided a handful of conversation starters about gratitude. We invite you try any or […]
To Unlock Your Child’s Heart, Just Ask for the Key!
If you are reading this, you probably want your kids to know how much you love them. And you probably tell them often that you do. But effectively communicating love is not always so simple. How can we be sure that what we mean as love is received as love? It can take insight, […]
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 idea what appropriate/related consequences to give her when she tells me “no,” and then in […]
Why “Stop it!” Doesn’t Work
3 Game-Changing Questions to Show Your Kids They’re Worth It
It can be hard work to grow as a parent. Especially when no matter how hard you try, things can still go haywire. Old patterns die hard, and it’s normal to fall into the default of huffing and puffing to get your own sense of control. But don’t lose heart! Here’s a simple strategy to […]
Are Your Mornings Brutal?
John was fed up. Like many parents, he came to me looking for a quick fix. No matter what consequences or logic John put in place, his 6th grade son Ben just wouldn’t take responsibility for getting himself up and moving, and out the door on time for school. He told me that everything he’d […]
