Tag Archive for: raising children

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The Blue / Pink Thing

The Blue Pink Thing is a simple term for the obvious (and not so obvious) differences between the genders.  If you’re raising both boys and girls, I’m sure you are already aware of the Blue Pink Thing.  As John Gray put it, “Men are…

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…

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…

The Parent Questionnaire

Our own life experience is our greatest parenting resource.  In my book, Raising Children That Other People Like to be Around”, I suggest that parenting is like driving a cab: if you don’t at least ACT like you know the way, your passengers…