Announcing our new tagline!
Hey friends, We’re excited to introduce our new tagline to those of you who helped form it. With your fantastic suggestions regarding the value you find through Connected Families, we condensed and interpreted what you told us. Here it is: Connected Families Your guide to peace and connection at home. We LOVE the themes you […]
An Open Letter to the Cincinnati Zoo Mom
Dear Cincinnati mom, You. Your son. An encounter with a gorilla at the zoo. These things have made you an unsuspecting internet sensation. We don’t know you. But, we do know that parenting is hard enough without the world scrutinizing your every move. We are guessing, of course, but we’re pretty sure you love your […]
3 Secrets to Grow from Screen Time Madness to Gladness This Summer
Are you feeling a little fear and trepidation about your kids’ free time this summer and the issues it brings? Summertime means long stretches of downtime. It also means that computer, television, and smartphone screens are an appealing way to fill that time for most children. Maybe you are a little worried about the seemingly […]
The Power of Defiance
Jesus was defiant. He defied Satan’s temptation. He defied the religious structures of the day. He defied legalism. He even defied death. One of our problems as parents is that we treat our kids’ defiance as if it is entirely bad. We then seek to make it go away – sometimes at all costs. What […]
The Big Do-Over
Here is another story from Joel and Amy Nelson, parents of two sons, who have previously shared their story here. Enjoy! Parenting may not come with a manual, but I sure have read a lot of the parenting books out there! One common message that I encountered in my reading was, in all that you […]
Is Your Response to Misbehavior Helpful or Hurtful?
What thoughtful question could you ask your child to build self-awareness of their behavior? How could you ask it in a way that communicates, “I love you and believe in you” as the primary message, avoiding a message of “You aren’t capable of figuring this out”? Register for our Discipline That Connects With Your Child’s […]
Is Your Child Entitled to a Trophy?
A young mom queried me intently after our talk on Entitlement in kids. “What do you do about the culture around us that guarantees that every child is a “winner” at participating and receives a trophy, even for last place?” We commiserated about how rampant this attitude is, that dispenses trophies and stickers and stars […]
The Biggest Parenting Responsibility You Have
The biggest parenting responsibility you have isn’t what you might expect. It isn’t to make sure your kids turn out a certain way. It isn’t even to stop their misbehavior.
It’s Not Defiance—It’s Science!
7 Peaceful, Powerful Ways to Connect with an Angry Child
Everyone would agree that loving our children is one of the most important things a parent can do. But sometimes expressing that love isn’t as easy as it sounds. Sarafina wrote about a breakthrough she had in learning to connect with an extremely angry child:
