Competition between siblings is often demonstrated by the statement, "That's not fair" or "What about him?" Competition comes from comparison and often creates distance in relationships between brothers and sisters as they try to put each other down in order to be first or best....
All children have good character qualities that, when taken to the extreme, have a negative side. One child may be quite organized, but if not careful, may become inflexible in a less structured situation. It's like the saying, "your strength can be your greatest weakness."...
There are things you can do on good days that you can't do on bad days. Good days are those days when a child is trying to overcome the weakness you've been working on. He's tried to respond better to instruction or is controlling his...
The heart is the center of all things. Inside a child’s heart are many things- certain issues they’re holding onto, feelings, things that bring them passion and joy, their experience of closeness or lack thereof to their parents, feelings of guilt or conviction and temptations...
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...