This puppy thing is a lot of work. Just as with our children, we console ourselves by saying, “If we put the work in now, we’ll have less to do later.” But that doesn’t diminish the magnitude of the required dedication at all. Our friend Bruce summed it up when he said, “Puppies just don’t […]
According to Merriam Webster Online, a quid pro quo is “something that is given to you or done for you in return for something you have given to or done for someone else.” I believe in the Kid Pro Quo, which I define as “something that your child gives or does for you in return […]
A lot can happen in a week. Although the puppy has had her share of “accidents,” all in all she’s doing a very good job of being a puppy; chewing on things, fighting imaginary foes, running in circles – all the regular stuff. JoAnn’s teaching roots have found new ground. Both dogs, Daisy and Delilah, […]
Many important issues are raised by the abuse Adrian Peterson, of the Minnesota Vikings, administered to his son. Although there is absolutely NO justification for Peterson’s behavior, and he has been arrested on a felony charge, there are other, somewhat related questions of a milder nature. To spank or not to spank – is one […]
We had plans to go out tomorrow night, but those have been cancelled. We’ve been binge watching TV lately, but now we’re too tired. It’s been two days since we got…the puppy! She’s a Golden Retriever. She’s ten weeks old. She’s the definition of cute. Look her up in the dictionary. After raising four children […]
If I could tell parents one thing, I would caution against thinking or emoting on behalf of their children. I would tell them that their young children don’t care if they are a working mom, or a stay at home dad, or a traveling salesperson. Their children only know one type of mother or father […]
Imagine a group of musicians each playing a different song, in a different key at a different tempo. It would be chaos – and it would sound terrible. Now imagine a family like that. If you’ve ever played, sung, or performed musically with others, it should be pretty easy to understand that parenting is a […]
When we were newlyweds ourselves, JoAnn and I were often successful matchmakers. We had one friend in particular – a talented, smart, and handsome co-worker of mine named Phil — who was very eligible and very single. I was pretty direct with him about our desire to fix him up. One day, as I was […]
“Don’t get a big head” was what I heard from my high school soccer coach. I had just debuted as the team goalie and we had beaten our biggest rival in a 1-0 shutout. After a childhood filled with criticism fueling piles of self-doubt, getting a “big head” was as far from my nature as […]
I’ve encountered a number of parents who, in their zeal to have “creative” children, resist discipline in their parenting process. They explain that they “want their child to be free to create” and to be “undiminished by structure” – which is fine if you and your family live in a vacuum. Being the logical sort […]