Tag Archive for: simplification

A Lazy Dad is Not All Bad

“Lazy” isn’t a word that is often associated with “better,” but I must confess that I am, and have always been, a lazy father.  Sure, I’ve coached a lot teams, driven a bunch of carpools and changed my share of diapers – but I’ve…

A Great Birthday Gift for Toddlers

There are few better opportunities to teach our children about the feelings of others than their birthdays – and the way we celebrate them. Birthday parties thrown for one-year-olds are clearly done for the benefit of the parents and posterity. …

K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple from the Start

Yesterday, I had the very entertaining opportunity to participate in morning drop-off at a local pre-school. In my capacity at the door, I observed several parenting styles at work – some I thought were quite efficient, and some I observed…

Happy Parents = Happy Kids

I wrote “Raising Children That Other People Like to be Around” because, after 36 years of marriage and 4 children, I believe that being good parents requires us to set a good example – and having a good relationship is the first, most…

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…

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…