Lessons They’ll Never Forget: Alternatives to Punishment
Before you use a threat, a lecture, a punitive time-out, a withdrawal of privileges, a grounding, or anything else that might fix the behavior temporarily consider these alternatives–some of which I shamelessly stole from a variety of experts.
Teaching vs. Punishment: Discipline Lessons from Ping-Pong
This article is part 2 in a 3-part series on punishment. Punishing and threatening my children is my go-to method. What do I do instead?! I have no idea. Kidding! One parenting expert responds to this question by saying: “What’s the alternative? Such a question is...
Can I Punish Character into My Child?
Teachers and parents assume that clever consequences will change their child for the better and teach the intended lesson. Research and life experience tells us that this is simply not true. If what we really hope for is the formation of morals (a knowledge of right and wrong) and character (the part of us that dictates our desires, thoughts, and actions) then we need to discipline (root word disciple) in ways that are consistent with our long term goals for our children.
Three Ways to Handle Frustration in Family Life
“Frustration often stems from unmet expectations. This is especially true in family life where both frustration and expectations can abound. Regardless of the stage of your family, it is likely you had or still have high aspirations for your loved ones. And why shouldn’t you?
Your Child May Have a Personality, Not a Disorder
In our homes and classrooms, all children come with different strengths and challenges. Before you rush to a diagnosis or a prescription consider the following…
Transform Your Family and Buy into the Ultimate Pyramid Scheme!
The Pitch Have I got a deal for YOU! What if I told you that I have something that could fix ALL of your child’s misbehavior with a simple solution—regardless of their age! And if you act now, I’ll throw in some ways to improve both you and your marriage! I know what...
Can I Bribe My Child into Being a Good Person?
In a previous article, “Parenting isn’t Rocket Science…it’s Harder!”, I suggested that too many of us parents ask the wrong question: “How can I get my child to do or stop doing ______________ (fill in the blank)?” If we start with this question then we'll likely get...
A Person’s A Person, No Matter How Small
Can You Feel the Love Tonight? Not too long ago, I became aware of a mother on Facebook expressing concern that her 18-month-old daughter was starting to climb out of her crib at night. This was apparently uncharted territory for this mom so she decided to solicit the...
Parenting Isn’t Rocket Science… It’s Harder!
Before I became a parent, I thought I fully knew what it meant to unconditionally love another individual. Probably because I was a newlywed who was so twitterpated (see Bambi) that loving my new bride was a cinch. She was pretty, she liked me, and she never (well,...