Articles (Page 6)

• • • • • Parenting Tip September 11, 2014 The Value of Correction Correcting children can be exasperating. Part of the problem is that children don’t usually value correction. Instead they become defensive, offer excuses, blame others, or even blame themselves. These manipulative techniques cause children to miss the benefits of correction. Of course, it’s not just a kid problem. How do you respond when your spouse or co-worker offers some helpful criticism? What about from your children? Are…

• • • • • Parenting Tip September 5, 2014 The Good Side of Anger We’ve worked with many families, helping them deal with anger, both in children and adults. One of the first truths that we try to communicate is that anger is good for identifying problems but not good for solving them. Unfortunately, too many people don’t understand anger’s benefit and, as a result, end up feeling guilty about being angry, further complicating the emotional picture. It’s important…

• • • • • Parenting Tip August 15, 2014 A Practical Way to Teach Responsibility Some children have a hard time doing anything without getting distracted. One mom, Heather, said, “When I tell my five-year-old son, James, to go get his shoes on because we’ve got to leave, he doesn’t come back. When I go look, I find him sitting on the floor playing with his cars. And it’s not just his shoes. Whenever I tell him to do…

• • • • • Parenting Tip August 8, 2014 A Practical Way to Teach Values Here’s a practical and effective way to teach values in your family-explain the reasons behind your rules. When you think of rules, you may just think of a list of do’s and don’ts that you are trying to impress upon your children. Rules can be much more than that though. They can be used as the vehicle to communicate values to your children. When…

• • • • • Parenting Tip July 26, 2014 Not Just Behavior Change Joey’s preschool teacher told him to sit down. He said, “No.” The teacher, not wanting to be outdone, leaned over Joey and said sternly, “You sit down!” Joey sat down, looked up at the teacher, and replied, “I’m sitting on the outside, but I’m standing on the inside.” Too many children are like Joey, changing their behavior in response to discipline but continuing to disobey in…

• • • • • Parenting Tip July 23, 2014 Some Kids Drain Energy Out of Family Life Some children have the ability to suck the energy right out of family life. These children are demanding of your time, need a lot of correction, and seem to be magnets for conflict. They are often emotionally explosive but almost always drain the energy out of parents and other family members. Unfortunately then, these children develop a negative view of themselves based…

• • • • • Parenting Tip July 16, 2014 Use Generosity to Teach Honor Honor means treating people as special, doing more than what’s expected, and having a good attitude. We work hard to develop honor in family life and are continually looking for new ways to teach it. One helpful way to teach honor is to be generous as a family. Generosity opens our hearts as well as the hearts of the people who receive from us. Giving…

• • • • • Parenting Tip July 9, 2014 Getting Kids to Listen without Yelling When we teach parents to avoid responding to their children in anger we get a common reaction: “But my kids won’t obey unless I get angry.” And you’re probably right, but only because you’ve taught your children to wait until you’re angry before they have to obey. You give your kids cues to know when you mean business. Those cues tell your child that…

• • • • • Parenting Tip June 24, 2014 Use Rules to Teach Values Every family has rules. As children grow older the rules change but the underlying values stay the same. For example, the three-year-old who isn’t permitted out of the house without supervision, may be allowed to play in the front or back yard when he is five. The ten-year-old may be required to check in if leaving the neighborhood, and the teenager must report in at…

• • • • • Parenting Tip June 18, 2014 Kids Love Heroes Isn’t it interesting how kids are drawn to heroes? We think kids love heroes for a good reason. Heroes are characterized by four things: they do what’s right, deal with wrongs, are honest, and they care about others. Kids love heroes because God has placed a conscience inside each child that prompts them in the same four ways: to do what’s right, deal with wrongs, be honest,…