It’s such a struggle to discipline our kids. I think it’s a struggle because it doesn’t feel good and it’s not fun. We had children to love them and nurture them and see them grow, so to talk about what they did wrong, or trying to train them not to do things that are wrong… let’s just say it’s difficult and uncomfortable. It doesn’t give us that loving feeling that we wanted with our kids but we know it’s necessary.…
Yes, you are! I think all children have the same first love — their mom. And we are usually their first Valentine, too. All of the future Valentine’s Days our children celebrate will echo the love they learned from us. And, the way we show our children love will also affect their future marriage. So, what are the most important relationship traits to teach our kids? Marriage researcher John Gottman says there are two traits that are more important than…
Can you know how to be a good parent? The answer is yes. This is an important topic because we so often doubt ourselves, especially when our children go through tough phases. We tend to feel like it’s our fault and we look back and say, “Uh-oh, how did I fail in these areas?” Today I want to assure you that there are lots of things you’re probably doing right. Here are some ways you can know that you’re being…
We often don’t understand what’s going on in the heads of our teenagers. In my case, this happened with one of my boys. He was such a good, compliant child that when he hit the teenage years I really didn’t know that he was having a lot of self-doubt. He based it on things that had happened to him that he perceived incorrectly. Even if you think your child is fine, be alert during these years and have regular conversations so the…
I loved it when my children were babies. I also loved it when they were teenagers—really, I did. Yes, there were challenges, but the bonds we formed during those years will last us a lifetime. What’s the key to parenting teenagers? In this podcast episode, Mark and I talk about how first, you’ll need to transition from being a little-people parent to a big-people parent. We have to accept that their mind has changed, how they think has changed, they…
Mark and I both had leadership positions in college. He was president of an on-campus leadership group and I was president of my sorority. But we’ve tried to teach our children a broader sense of leadership–the power of influence in daily life. There’s a question we asked our kids a lot over the years, especially during middle school and high school: Are your friends having more of an influence on you, or are you having more of an influence on…
Mark and I need your help. Our new books, From Me to You: A Conversation Journal (both son and daughter versions), releases April 2nd! We would love your help sharing the news. To make sharing convenient, use any of these posts or tweets below to get the word out on your social media. Thank you for helping. It is our hope that these books will be the beginning of a hundred meaningful conversations between parent and child about trials, temptations, and fears. About dreams, family,…