When I think about the time that I learned what it means to be a man, I remember driving down Randall Road, between Cary and Elgin, Illinois, in my Blue 1998 Ford Explorer Wagon listening to a cassette tape series of an audio book and taking notes on a small hand-held note pad with a […]
Category: Personal Examples
Teach Your Child to Work
Work… that’s a four letter word! Is that how you see it? Is that how your children see it …because that’s how you see it? …or because they see you work without expecting them to? I have heard this said by men who seem to say it “tongue in cheek”… and often the man saying […]
Campfires + Boys = Good Combination
It is utterly amazing what sitting around a campfire does for your soul! Last weekend I watched boys ranging from age 5 to 16 sit together, relatively still, around a campfire two nights in a row with no agenda and simply enjoy the tranquility and chaos of a campfire! It was a beautiful time, as […]
A Magnificent Treasure!
Dragons are well known to be protectors. They are also known to possess the greatest treasure in the land. Tales have been told of dragons with maidens held captive in the tower of a castle, for centuries, but what if we reverse the idea? How about a maiden that is not held against her will, […]
Doing the Motions – Big Deal Behavior (5 of 8)
There was a great amount of time, in the early years of my parenting, that I simply was at a loss of how to train certain elements of my children’s character. I knew that I wanted them to be responsible and diligent but “how do I train that?” I wondered. I happened upon the idea […]
The Garage Lights – Big Deal Behavior (4 of 8)
“My child has done something wrong! What do I do now? Do I make a big deal? I don’t really have any positive reinforcement to use according to this! What do I do?” As we’ve talked about Big Deal Behavior we discussed making sure you praise your child(ren) when they do something right, and then […]
HAPPY EASTER 2018!!
Kids love Holiday Traditions! Our family traditions for the weekend include attending our Good Friday Service… observing the secular Easter Traditions on Saturday, and Rejoicing Heavily on Sunday!! HE IS RISEN!!!! With as much family as possible! Happy Easter!! …were headed to Papa and Nana’s…
Positive Reinforcement – Big Deal Behavior (2)
When it comes to motivating people, your children included, making a bigger deal out of a simple act of correct behavior can be very useful in directing them… the simple term is positive reinforcement. However, seeking to be honest, I often got caught up on having to “manufacture” a bigger response than I would naturally […]
Big Deal Behavior (1 of 8)
My youngest daughter, who was 9 at the time, decided one night to empty the dishwasher without being asked! Has this ever happened to you? Did you make a big deal out of it? Make your child feel like they won the lottery? This leads to a concept that has been a BIG part of […]
Sweet and Low – Name Calling (2 of 3)
I have heard it said that your favorite word in any language is your name (or the name you like to be called). While I believe that this is true in an extra familial sense, I do know that nicknames – especially ones that endear a person to you (and you to them) are loved […]