How to Help Your Kids Like Each Other
At times, children naturally enjoy each other. But conflict is inevitable. If parents allow it, isolated conflicts can turn into a persistent rivalry with the power to dominate their children’s relationships with each other. In other words, if we wait for kids to fight to be engaged in their relationship, we’ve waited too long.
Michael Phelps’ Secret… and What It Tells Us About Parenting
Michael Phelps is now the most decorated Olympian in history. Winning 19 Olympic medals has made him — according to many — “the greatest Olympian ever”. So what is Phelps’ secret? Well, it could be his high-altitude sleeping chamber. But we think it has a lot to do with Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, and a somewhat […]
The Worst Punishment You Can Give…
The worst punishment a parent can give is the impulsive, emotional and irrational consequence that the child eventually weasels out of because both parent and child know it’s unreasonable. Dishing out a quick consequence may help you feel big and powerful at the moment, but it teaches your kids that your word can’t be trusted, therefore you […]
How to Avoid Combat with Your Kids
When your kids act up, Stop and Breathe. Breathing clears your mind and calms you down. When you don’t breathe, your brain stays in fight or flight mode and you can’t think clearly. You usually charge in and start a battle. When you breathe you calm down. When you’re calm you can think clearly and remember […]
“Why Can’t You Just Do What I Say?”
I’m often tempted to discipline my children with the goal of gaining immediate results. While this might get me what I want in the moment, it often leads to greater frustration later because I didn’t really teach the value behind the behavior. Forced instant compliance often leaves my children feeling powerless, and maybe angry, and […]
10 Screen-Free Ways to Have Fun With Your Kids
We have talked before about some “DOs and DON’Ts” of how to peel your kids off the screen. It may seem difficult to help your kids discover fun alternatives to their action-packed video games or TV shows, but it can be done! It will take some intentionality on your part, of course, but making the […]
How to Peel Your Kids Off the Screen
It’s halfway through the summer, and you’re finding yourself in power struggles over screen time with your kids. Why can’t they simply obey you and get off the TV/video game/internet respectfully — when asked — with no whining, complaining, manipulating, negotiating, or otherwise driving you crazy? A reasonable question, but there are a couple […]
A 3-year-old Broke Our Hearts
Eli and his single mom Kari lived with us for 3 ½ years. We took them in, believing that God could use us to strengthen and prepare them for life’s next chapters. Though raised in a Christian home, Kari struggled greatly with anger and shame, and often looked to Eli to meet her needs for […]
Connection in Correction (Love No Matter What!)
When has someone connected with you (shown love and compassion) when you “misbehaved”, and what was the effect on you? Can you think of a time when you “connected in correction” with your child? What was the impact? Try this, and share the results with someone.
Solving a Child’s Big Spiritual Problem
As parents who care for our children’s spiritual well-being, we try to teach them right and wrong and help them tackle whatever spiritual problems they encounter. However, other than the fact that they’re born into sin, it may well be that a child’s biggest spiritual problem is that the grace they hear about in the […]