Fall "sweeps" month begins today, and that means TV shows will resort to more sensational programming to boost their ratings and advertising dollars. So be prepared for even more sex, violence and vulgar language than usual for the next 30 days. While there isn't much you can do about what's on TV, there's a lot you can do about how much you'll allow into your home. Why not consider skipping TV for awhile, and...
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Let's face it—we live in a world of instant gratification. We want it all, and we want it now. We're a nation of express lanes, fast food, texts and tweets. But it's a problem when we impose those same expectations on people. We want instant acceptance from our peers, instant response from our colleagues, instant help from our spouse—regardless of the circumstances. And when we don't get the immediate response we...
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We've powered up our laptops, phones and video games. We've powered down family meals, drive-time conversations and date nights with our spouse. We've increased tech and decreased touch. What can we do about it? Just remember these four R's. First, Recognize that you can control technology. Second, Remember that your children will learn more from your online actions than your offline words. Third, Require...
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Sure, technology can be tough on relationships. Just ask the wife whose husband's cell phone is glued to his ear. The husband who can't get his wife off the keyboard. Technology has downsides and upsides. With three daughters in college or working and two teen boys at home, I've tried to turn this relational foe into a relational friend. Here's how. First, I send a good-night text to my girls almost every...
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Instead of just letting your kids hunt for eggs this year, let them hunt for compliments. Buy some plastic eggs and assign each of your children a color. Then write some nice things about your kids on slips of paper, and put them inside. Like, "I love the way you treat your sister so kindly," or, "You're a great Monopoly player." Once they've found all of their eggs, let your children read what's inside. We have...
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I'm not talking about the turkey and dressing sitting in your fridge—left over from Thanksgiving. I'm talking about your time. You do the math. Right now, think about all of the things that go into your day . . . rushing to get ready in the morning, going to work, cleaning the house, cooking dinner, chores in the evening, watching TV. Now, add up how much time you really spend interacting with your kids. What's...
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When they can demonstrate maturity. That can be a tricky thing to pinpoint these days. Your teen may look like an adult physically, but emotionally still be child-like. You can't stand Tommy up against a door jamb and mark his emotional growth like you measured his height. Instead, you have to look for other marks to see growing maturity. Leadership expert, Dr. Tim Elmore has compiled a list of 7 Marks of...
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