Are you struggling to make your holidays happy in your home?  I’m Mark Merrill with today’s Family Minute. The holidays, like life, are all about relationships. And relationship mistakes can kill the holiday mood. So don’t let the good things take your focus off the best things. It’s easy to let the fun, creative, and well-intended trappings of the season cause you to lose your focus on your...

If you’ve spent any time on the field with your children, you know it’s sometimes tough to figure out when to be coach and when to be parent. Well, here’s an idea…let the coach be the person to push them and you, the parent, be the person to praise them. The car ride home from practice or games should not be a time to nitpick at their performance; it should be a sanctuary of praise filled with accolades to your...

There are a lot of difficult topics that parents and teens have to navigate through together. Talking about alcohol, drugs, pornography, premarital sex, and many other issues can be very uncomfortable for you and your teen. So, what should a parent do? First, share with them right up front that you realize this is difficult to talk about but it’s too important to ignore. Second, let them know that you love them no...

Here are some of the best kept secrets to a successful marriage. First, understand that the universe does not revolve around your child. Do everything you can to keep your spouse a top priority.  Second, realize that love is a daily choice that you make and an action you take. Love is all about giving selflessly and sacrificially to your spouse. Third, never everstop dating. Carve out consistent time each week or...

You see, if I ask them to get me nothing, I may truly get everything for Christmas. Here are three reasons this might be the very best thing I could do for my family this year. First, it gets the focus off of me. When it’s not about me getting something, it helps me to think more about giving something, which is the real spirit of Christmas. Second, it helps focus our family’s attention on what we already have and...

My wife, Susan and I were already blessed with three children. But then, 10 years ago, our hearts were moved to adopt. We were given the opportunity to adopt two older children, ages 12 and 9. So we flew several thousand miles into a remote area of Siberia, Russia. Once there, we went to a little orphanage and found two children who needed a mom and dad to love and care for them. Susan and I got to be that mom and...

Maybe it’s watching the parade or football game on TV. Maybe it’s playing football or games in the backyard. That special dish you serve every year can be a great tradition as well.  Each family member sharing what they’re thankful for as you gather around the dinner table can be a very meaningful tradition.  Your tradition might even include inviting a family that’s less fortunate.  Think about it. What tradition...