My 6-year-old comes up to me, a hopeful expression in her eyes. “Mom, can I have some Girl Scout cookies?” My response is automatic. “No, sweetie, it is almost dinnertime.” As she walks away, I overhear her tell her friend, “We will ask her again in a few minutes because she won’t remember she said no.” Raising children is tough. No one will disagree with that statement. Raising them as a stroke survivor is tougher. It presents a whole new... Read more
Why do kids have tantrums? In a nutshell, it’s because they want what they want when they want it—it’s a visceral reaction to being thwarted by circumstances or another person. In this week’s video blog, I give tips on how parents should react to a child’s tantrums. Here are my top three tips for tantrums: 1. Ignore the tantrum. 2. Establish a tantrum place. 3. Never give into a tantrum. For how to actually implement those tips, watch the video.... Read more
Helping children of all ages become comfortable in the kitchen isn’t difficult—all it takes is patience and a little planning. Tonight, my 11-year-old son is making his specialty: Mexican Rice Bowl, from Cooking Rocks! Rachel Ray 30-minute Meals for Kids cookbook. He’s made this meal enough times that I have to offer minimal assistance. Earlier this week, his 10-year-old brother made Chinese soup, while his 13-year-old sister served hamburgers and French fries, and his 15-year-old sister made vegetarian chili with... Read more
Sometimes, kids say the most alarming things, such as wanting to hurt themselves or others in response to a relatively minor frustration. Other times, kids simply say weird, strange utterances just because they’re kids. In this week’s video blog, I answer a question from a parent whose 7-year-old son said he wanted to kill himself over a botched worksheet at school. My advice to the parent? First of all, calm down and remember that kids say the darnedest things. Then... Read more
With the classic family road trip still the most popular way for Americans to get to their vacation spot, how can parents ensure the time spent in the car is more pleasant than fracas? How many times will your kids say, “Are we there yet?” during your family road trip this summer? How many times will you threaten to pull over because of a child’s misbehavior? What if you could greatly reduce the tension and fights among your kids and... Read more
How can we help our kids navigate a world that often doesn’t believe what we do? As Christian parents, we often view the world as a dangerous place—and that’s true to a certain extent because evil is real. But we live in this world, and we should ensure our kids know how to interact with others who don’t believe like we do or are hostile to our faith. In this week’s video blog, I give examples and ideas for parents... Read more
Rather than grapple with your kids all summer long about how much time they’re spending hunched over devices, here are some general guidelines on electronics you can tweak to fit your family and schedule. Summer is finally here! The kids are out of school and enjoying the expanse of long days stretching out before them and no schoolwork to clutter up their imaginations. But all too often, kids will take the easy way and gorge on a steady diet of... Read more
How should we respond to our kids’ bad attitudes? Our children and teens don’t always respond well to instructions or comments from us, and that can frustrate, annoy and drive us crazy as parents. But is it realistic to expect perfect responses to our directives every single time? In this week’s video blog, I talk about what we as parents should—and shouldn’t—expect in terms of our kids’ attitudes. I also provide tips on how parents can respond to the verbal... Read more
Guest blogger Cindi McMenamin shares her three steps for drama-free parenting. You know what drama is. You’re busy, running late, not prepared, or just lacking enough energy to get through your day and suddenly, unintentionally, you become drama. While I was writing Drama Free, I became aware of how easily overwhelmed we as parents can become if we push ourselves to exhaustion. Requests can feel like demands, previous commitments can feel like pressure-filled obligations, and someone else’s ill-timed words can... Read more
What is the best way to teach modesty? Unfortunately, modesty is a lost character trait, and if it’s taught at all, it’s generally restricted to females. This is a huge mistake because boys need to learn modesty as much as girls do. All too often, we ignore this question until the child hits puberty and then we scramble to cram in years of training into a few short months! Start by discussing your family values, not as lectures (because who... Read more
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