A reader asked, “I would LOVE to hear some tips on how to get the kids to do their chores. You know, without making me turn into the Wicked Witch of the West???”
This is one of the most common question I get asked by parents.
First, we all know that mothers are known to be nags. [...]
The Bible tells fathers not to irritate and provoke their children to anger (Ephesians 6).
Children are naturally selfish, undisciplined and irrational. They want to play all the time, they don’t want to share, and they rarely act rationally.
It seems to me that to be a good parent, given the job of teaching our children to [...]
It’s still hard for me to believe that my son turned 21 a couple of weeks ago! It is true what they say, children DO grow up fast!
Time crawled when my kids were babies when all I saw were dirty diapers and midnight feedings. But time, though it may have seemed slow, does not stand [...]
A reader asks, “How hard do you push your opinions when your kid has a friend that you really don’t approve of?”
How hard you push depends a lot on the age of your child. You have more influence on a child in single digit age than a teenager. With kids of all ages, this issues [...]
“Would you want to come home to yourself?”
That question changed my life.
Would I want to come home to hear myself nagging at me?
Would I want to come home to be criticized by me?
Would I want to come home to negativity, pestering, and meanness?
If I don’t want to come home to me, why would my children [...]
“My kids don’t talk to me.”
You’d think that since we’ve known our kids all their lives and even live with them every single day of their lives, communication would be natural. But those very factors may work against us. Our children may have had too much of us! All we get is a grunt now [...]
In the course of the day, with meals to cook, messes to clean up, and homework to do, it seems inappropriate to talk to your children about those deeper issues of life.
Yet, as days and months pass, pants get outgrown and the training wheels are off, it seems inappropriate to not have talked to your [...]
My family had a great time at the Los Angeles County Fair this past weekend.
At the “Bark Park” the stunt dogs performed a number cute tricks. For one of the tricks, two small children were asked to be volunteer helpers. Usually kids love that sort of thing. However, one of them, a little 4-year-old girl [...]
I have this tendency to jump on my children and lecture them.
Yesterday, my daughter came home and says, “I’m tired.” This seemingly innocent remark set me off!
“You probably didn’t eat your lunch. You didn’t even drink half of your water bottle. And you stayed up too late last night. You better get your homework done [...]
I believe it was Gary Smalley who taught that everyone has an emotional tank. We function at our best when our emotional tank is full.
Here’s how it works.
When an emotional need is met, our tank gets a “deposit.” It fills up a bit.
A hug, an affirming word, a listening ear, laughter, good times together - [...]
My mother-in-law often says, “If you treat people well, they will treat you well.”
Do we want our kids to obey us, respect us, and be civil to us?
Then we have to do our part not to annoy our children.
Of course, if I am doing the right thing and my kids don’t like it, I don’t [...]
“My kids talk for hours with their friends, but they don’t tell me anything!”
Communication problem? Generation gap?
The problem is actually an occupational hazard of being a parent.
Since day one of our children’s lives, we’ve told our children what to do: put on your shoes, eat your vegetables, pick up your socks, don’t forget your [...]
This is our pet bunny Smokey.
When we tell her to come, she doesn’t come. When we tell her to jump, she doesn’t jump.
But when we dangle a carrot a front of her, she’ll go anywhere the carrot leads!
Dale Carnegie tells this story of of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
One day, Emerson and his son tried to get [...]
When I am shopping, I like to give a compliment to the clerks.
I look hard for something to give a sincere compliment. “That’s a nice necklace you have on” or “I like that color of nail polish on you.”
My ulterior motive is, if I am nice to them, they will give me better service!
Dale Carnegie’s [...]
What do we say to our children when they make an ugly face or cross their eyes?
“Your face and eyes are going to get stuck that way!”
In the same way, we can get into a habit of being negative and critical of our children that we get stuck that way.
Dale Carnegie writes this:
“Often parents are [...]
Have you read the classic How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie?
It’s been more than 10 years since I read it, and I am reading it again.
I am recommending this book for every parent.
The timeless principles in this book has made this a top seller since it was written in the 1930’s. [...]
Would you agree that you’ve made some mistakes as a parent?
Of course we all know the answer to that question. Everyday I make mistakes that I wish I could do over.
I should have not yelled at my kids. I should have gone to support my daughter’s band competition even though it was pouring rain. I [...]
