Conflict forces young people to wrestle with things in their hearts. Their desires, emotions, and beliefs get intertwined and they often aren’t thinking straight. Conflict also helps teens develop tools for handling differences in life. Three life skills are exercised in every conflict situation: Problem...
Unfortunately, many children don't realize when they've crossed the line from persistence to demandingness. That line is crossed when children value their issue as more important than the relationship. When a child yells at a parent or says unkind things because he doesn't get what...
The most-often-asked parenting question is, "What do I do when my kids act out in the grocery store?" It's frustrating when children throw tantrums, run away, whine, complain, or disobey in the store. It would be nice to have a little booklet entitled, "How to...
Waiting is hard. Whether it’s a new attitude or an annoying behavior that needs to stop. It takes time for a child’s heart to change. Waiting for God to change the heart requires patience, hope, and clear vision....
There are two kinds of people in the world, solvers and whiners. Whiners complain about life, feel like victims, and believe that others cause their problems. If others would just change then they'd be happy. Until then, they'll just whine about life....
Wanting to spare their children frustration in life, parents sometimes step in unnecessarily, but by rescuing kids they may be robbing them of an excellent way to learn. Frustration often provides motivation to children, and a parent's patient coaching can help them experience the success...
tendencies of their hearts. They not only need a vision for something better, but also need a plan to help them do it. The most effective strategy for change is to work on the heart, not just the behavior. ...
No matter how long you've been a believer, you can teach your children tremendous spiritual lessons. The key is to first be growing spiritually yourself and then passing truths on to your kids....
As a parent, one of the things you can do to help your children now is to envision a positive future for them. Take a few minutes and imagine what your children will be like as adults. Some parents have immediate thoughts of gloom and...
Firmness says that a boundary is secure and won’t be crossed without a consequence. Harshness, on the other hand, uses angry words and emotional intensity to make children believe that parents mean what they say. Ask yourself an important question about your own parenting. What...