Put Down The Controller (and Nobody Gets Hurt)

My name is Richard, and I am an addict. When my children were young and asleep I used to sneak into our family room, power up our Nintendo, and quietly play the now-ancient video game with infectious music called “The Legend of Zelda” into…
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Yes, I Locked My Kid in the Car

One day, when Aaron was about around two years old, JoAnn went out to runs some errands, leaving Aaron and me to wash my beloved navy blue two-door Fiat (because that's what guys do to bond).  The car, being a European two-door coupe, had…

Are You a WIMPY Parent ?

Here are five quick tests: Do you…let your children boss you around?   (Do they say things like “Where’s my breakfast?”) Do you…make excuses for your children? (“She would have said ‘Thank you.’ but she was too busy playing.”) Are…

“The Circle Game”

As my children have gotten older and more self-sufficient, I’ve seen them become more “objective” about the hard-earned advice I offer.  They no longer hear my voice as if it were thunder on the mountaintop.  As my role in their lives…

Talking With Kids About Ukraine

I’ve been doing a lot of media lately, specifically about how to speak to our children about the situation in Ukraine. It is my experience, theory, and observation that we all like to feel safe – especially children – so the idea of introducing…

What’s a Mommy or a Daddy Anyway?

or...  EXCUSES PART TWO In a previous blog I addressed the folly of parents too frequently accepting excuses from our children. I also mentioned the possibility of parents actually making up excuses on behalf of their kids – as in, they…
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EXCUSES EXCUSES EXCUSES

I meant to write this post last week, but… .......the dog ate it. As a world-class procrastinator, I’ve become pretty friendly with the concept of a decent excuse. But as the son of hard-working and “absolute” parents, I’ve also…

5 Easy Parenting Resolutions

Here are 5 do-able resolutions that can help you and your family make the most of the coming year. 1. Ambush Your Kids With Something Positive Every Day I was recently speaking at an elementary school when one of the parents asked about consequences…

5 Things Every Husband (and Father) Should Know

As this week marks the thirty-sixth year of my marriage, I thought I’d try to offer some of the little lessons I have learned through co-habitation. None of us is entitled to the “perfect” partner.  We just don’t come out of the box…

3 SIMPLE SAYINGS

My mom would have been ninety-two last week.  Here are three gems she left me: Don’t be so open minded that your brain falls out. All of us have been in situations where our better nature overrides our common sense.  I’ve loaned money…