Children Who Get Angry Need Other Choices
A good anger management plan teaches children healthy alternatives to explosive behavior. Unhealthy choices include sarcasm, dirty looks, yelling, stomping, and unkind words. But if children or adults are going to respond in healthy ways, they need to have some better ideas in mind. We encourage parents to teach three simple choices to children: talk about it, get help, or slow down and...
Read MoreThree Basic Family Rules
Rules are important in family life. They clarify expectations and provide opportunities for parents to teach about values. Some parents, however, rely too heavily on rules. They develop lists and family life boils down to a bunch of do’s and don’ts. Remember that rules tend to focus on behavior and may miss the heart. But, if you use rules wisely and talk often about why the rules are...
Read MoreHonor Defined in Practical Terms
Children need to know what Godly character looks like in practical terms. We love the character quality of honor, not just because God commands it, but also because it has so much rich meaning for parents and children. It can give direction in many of the frustrating moments we experience in family life. In fact, every form of selfishness has an honor-based solution. Honor means… Treating...
Read MoreWhen Young Children Run the Other Way
It’s hard to get very far in the discipline process if you call to Johnny and he runs the other way. Furthermore, it’s not respectful when parents yell across the house or parking lot to their kids. At least part of the solution is to teach children to come when they’re called. Some parents react at the thought of having children come when they’re called. It conjures up...
Read MoreBut Mom, Everyone’s Doing It
Has your child ever come to you and made the statement “Everyone’s doing it,” to get you to give in to a request? Children use all kinds of tactics to get permission for things parents would rather not say yes to. Keep these three things in mind when you are challenged with that statement. First, sometimes kids believe that appropriate behavior is determined by the culture....
Read MoreBuilding a Tape
Many times we, as parents, don’t see the results of our discipline as fast as we’d like. The process is slow, at best, and change seems to be taking a long time. In those situations we need to focus on building a tape in our child’s heart. Think about some of the things your parents said over and over again that continue to play in your mind. “Turn off the lights before...
Read More
