Posts from November 2013

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 14, 2013 The Gratefulness Principle Gratitude increases closeness in relationships. As you parent your children, look for opportunities to take advantage of gratefulness to draw closer to your kids. Give your children small gifts of love day after day. Be careful, though, that you don’t confuse the gratefulness principle with the overindulgence trap. Some parents, wanting their children to like them, recognize giving gifts opens the heart, so they overdo it by…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 12, 2013 Teaching Children About Anger Anger is a common problem in family life, especially among siblings. Although it’s very frustrating for parents, a wise mom or dad can use anger episodes to teach kids some valuable lessons about anger control and dealing with emotions. First, empathize with your child about the offense. “I can see why you’re upset. That makes sense.” Second, if the offender was wrong, acknowledge that fact. “Your…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 8, 2013 Honesty Requires Character Lying is a sign of a character weakness. It’s a shortcut. Greed and impulsiveness set a person up for dishonesty. A child who lies sacrifices a clear conscience for some kind of immediate gain. He exchanges godly values for a quick-fix solution. Here are three character qualities foundational for honesty. First, children who succumb to lying often lack contentment. They seem to want more than they have…

• • • • • Parenting Tip November 4, 2013 The Truth about Lying Deception is a term we use to describe a number of kinds of dishonest words or actions. Lying is only one piece of the bigger puzzle. Some people define lying as saying something that is not true, but we believe lying has more to do with the intent of the speaker. The person who reports inaccurate information is just mistaken unless he intends to deceive. We…