Being cool and your son or daughter's best friend is NOT the way to be a good parent or get close to your children. Children want parents who guide them and not a friend. That's what kids their age are for. You can be friendly with your child and do things with them, but you must always maintain your role as parent. I took my children on many an RV trip, backpacking, … [Read more...] about Be a Dad, NOT a Friend
Parenting
Listen to Your Children–They Speak a Foreign Language
Just like adults, children don’t always say what they think. They either shade the truth or act out and expect us to understand what they are saying. For example, when children are tired they usually don’t say they’re tired and want to go to bed, they get fussy, scream, cry, and any number of other things. This happened a week or so ago after I took my four year old … [Read more...] about Listen to Your Children–They Speak a Foreign Language
Undisciplined Older Children
Ideally, good discipline is established when children are young. But there are parents who have let their children run the show and now can't understand why their children ignore them and refuse to obey. I've heard these parents say terrible things about their children as if it was their child's fault. Of course their are exceptions. Some kids may become undisciplined even … [Read more...] about Undisciplined Older Children
Grandparent Involvement in Their Adult Children’s Discipline
My son and his family came to visit over the Labor Day Weekend. We went to see the famous waterfall near my home. We had to hike about a half mile and my son was carrying Lucca in a backpack. Lucca’s shoe dropped off when we stopped for a drink and my son looked down at my granddaughter and said, “Layla, would you please pick up Lucca’s shoe?” She folded her arms and turned her … [Read more...] about Grandparent Involvement in Their Adult Children’s Discipline
Spanking: A Fathers Guide
While some think spanking is cruel and unusual punishment and should never be used because it tells your child it’s okay to hit someone, I believe spanking should be one of a number of punishments in a parent’s arsenal. I only spanked my children two or three times in their lives. I never once hit them in anger. So if you continue to believe that spanking should be part of … [Read more...] about Spanking: A Fathers Guide