Are you doing your COVID research? One of the most time-consuming jobs as a parent is doing the research. Parents research schools, sports leagues, food choices, and neighborhoods. Maybe they are also vigilant about researching the movies their kids want to watch or the music they listen to. If parents care at all about raising…
What Youth Sports Coaches Really Want
What do youth sports coaches want? My daughter answered this question pretty clearly this past spring when she began her season of coaching varsity softball (which unfortunately was cut short by Covid). I read her email send to all the parents and I thought it would be valuable to share with you what she told…
The Most Powerful Parenting Tool You Have
What is your most powerful parenting tool? I would argue that the tool you have that has the biggest impact on who your children become is the words that come out of your mouth. It’s interesting what you remember from your childhood. Maybe you recall when a coach called you slow or stupid, a teacher…
The Joy of Having Hard Conversations
Hard conversations are not high on my favorite-things-to-do list. I dreaded them when my kids were little and I was worried how they would respond. I dreaded them when my kids were teens and I knew how they would react. I dread them even now when they are adults because sometimes it’s me on the…
3 Ways You and Your Kids Can Love Diverse People
How does your family love diverse people? Last week I talked about raising kids who love people who don’t look like them, but I’d like to take it a little deeper this week. Mostly because I’ve been doing a lot of learning myself. I’ve been reading, listening to podcasts, and soul-searching because I really want…
Raising Kids To Love People Who Don’t Look Like Them
There are no easy answers to the violence and pain that our country has had in the past few weeks. Raising kids in the midst of the chaos adds to the challenges of parenting. As Viral Dads stated, “I don’t know how it ends, but I know where it begins. It starts with Moms and Dads.” But…
3 Things That Keep Good Parents from Becoming GREAT Parents
There are a lot of good parents in this world. You are probably one of them! But what if you understood that even in being a good parent, you were settling for less? If you knew of a way to go from good to great, would you do it? I’ve talked with enough parents to…
How to Prioritize Family When the Forced “Family Time” of Quarantine is Over
After surveying and talking to hundreds of parents during the quarantine season, which is still going on for many, I learned that many of you want to figure out a way to prioritize family time post-lockdown. Maybe you’re one of those families that enjoyed just hanging-out together, or perhaps you re-discovered the joy of game…
When You Feel Like a #ParentFail
Your #parentfail may or may not shock your child, but it still affects how you feel about yourself as a parent. Look up #ParentFail on social media and you’ll see a lot of humorous parenting stories. Here’s a few I found on twitter: Well potty training didn’t go so well. I guess I can’t let…
How to Practice Patience With Your Children
In a recent parent survey I sent out regarding the challenges parents face during this Covid19 crisis, I heard one thing over and over: parents wish they had more patience with their children. Patience is one of those things we wish and may even pray for, but still it feel like it’s an unreachable goal…