Limits and rules are necessary to create order and productivity, the lack of which create chaos and confusion. Rules provide the basis of understanding for what is expected, whether in the workplace, classroom, community or family. If a classroom had…
Is it your goal in life to be your child’s best friend? If so, that’s honorable. But do you sometimes allow your friendship to take precedence over being a good parent? Out there on the far end of the relational…
What is a Home Rules Contract? A home rules contract is a written set of expectations that adults have of their teens (and preteens). The contract includes basic rules, consequences and privileges. What is the Purpose of a Home Rules…
Let’s be honest. We love our kids to pieces, right? But parenting is exhausting – especially when we add in sports, extracurricular activities, family obligations, keeping the house in order, getting a semi-decent meal on the table, our own jobs…
Half the fun of any trip is getting there, right? Well, maybe not if you envision mile after mile of whining, choruses of “are we there yet” or refereeing backseat battles. But it doesn’t have to be a dreaded experience.…
Hope for Parenting the “Me” Generation Baby Boomers were so bent on having better relationships with their children than they had with their own parents, they tended to set aside their primary role as parents. Their desire to be their…
Are you connecting with your teenager or growing farther apart every day? Here are three things you can do to communicate and connect on a deeper level. So, what do you and your teen talk about? My guess is that…
When a teen breaks the rules, they need a responsible adult to respond, not react. To respond is to offer calmness, honesty, love, grace and support while seeking to correct the misbehavior. However, to react is to become emotional, angry,…
Connecting With Your Teen Teens today are experts in the art of mass communications. They have every communications gadget imaginable and they communicate to friends and the whole world about things that might be better left unsaid. After all, does…
Dealing With Holiday Conflicts in The Family The holiday season can be a joyful, happy time, particularly if you’ve come from a perfectly harmonious family. But since there is no such perfect family, the majority of people reading this probably…
Establishing Rules For the Whole Family The militaristic approach just doesn’t work today. We live in a more relational culture. Most parents today have better relationships with their children than parents did before…but while that’s largely a good thing, there…
The relationship between siblings is one of the most significant contacts in a person’s life. Studies show that sibling relationships are by far the longest-lasting familial connections in a person’s life, outlasting the bond between people and their grandparents or…
Focusing On What Is Important To Your Teen As a person, you no doubt understand the joy of others paying attention to things that matter to you. It feels good to discuss your passions with others, sharing some of the…
Communicating with teens can be one of the hardest parts of parenting. Teens are going through a lot of changes, and these can cause them to behave in ways they wouldn’t otherwise. No matter how much your teen pulls away…
How To Connect With Your Millenial: Teenage Girls Parents and teens have always argued with each other, since time began. They have argued about school, relationships, privileges, responsibilities, and everything else you can think of. However, teens today have a…