Posts from March 2013

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 27, 2013  Helping Children Take Responsibility – Part 2 During a discipline time, asking your children, “What did you do wrong?” can help them learn to take responsibility for their actions. Sometimes children don’t even know what they did wrong. You may have to tell your child, but don’t just say it and have your child agree, actually have the child repeat back to you what was wrong and take responsibility for…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 16, 2013 Patterns in Family Life A busy father comes home from work hoping to relax with his wife and enjoy his children. Instead, he walks into a land mine of relational issues. Children are bickering and Mom is frazzled. Even the dog has retreated to a quieter room in the house. Likewise, a mom comes home from work wanting to share a couple of interesting stories with her family only to…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 13, 2013  Be a Coach to Your Children  I’m sure that as you look around you see other families who have rather interesting relationships with their kids. Some parents seem to have a boss/servant relationship with their children, as if the parents own their kids. They order them around as if they were slaves, being demanding about obedience and respect. Others act like a policeman allowing children to do anything they want…

• • • • • Parenting Tip March 9, 2013 A Clear Warning  One of the tools of discipline is a clear warning. It can actually be a teaching tool because it helps children know how to anticipate consequences of their actions. Furthermore a clear warning clarifies for your children that what you have said wasn’t just a suggestion, but that you meant business. When you give a warning, it’s important to obtain eye contact, speak calmly but firmly, and…

• • • • • Parenting Tip February 28, 2013  Giving Instructions Clearly  We’ve all found ourselves in situations where adults are supervising children. Some adults have the ability to command attention and get children to listen better than others. All they use is what we call a Firm Instruction, a very important part of the discipline process. A Firm Instruction is quite useful whether you’re working with your own children or someone else’s. Good discipline doesn’t just mean finding…