Family by God&#039;s Design

How to Raise an Overly Self-Critical Child (…or not)

No, we do not want to raise self-critical children. We want to raise hard-working children who accept themselves and others. Unfortunately, we can easily slip into a style of parenting that promotes self-criticism and perfectionism in our children. How do parents unwittingly nurture self-criticism? Let me offer a couple examples. Our child is working on...

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September 5, 2016

Alternatives to Spanking, Part 2

Experts at The University of Texas (Austin) and the University of Michigan looked at five decades of research on spanking. They looked at research that defined spanking as “an open-handed hit on the behind or extremities” and excluded harsher forms of discipline in an effort to “weed out” abuse. The findings suggested “the more children...

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September 3, 2016

Alternatives to Spanking, Part 1

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August 29, 2016

The First Step in Effective Discipline

I read a blog from Greater Good entitled What Happens to Kids When Parents Fight. It is an excellent article and well worth the read. You can read it by clicking here. The author notes that children pay close attention to their parents’ emotions. They carefully observe their parents’ interactions and determine how safe the...

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August 20, 2016

Two Observations on Parenting (Than Can Save You Money)

Over the years of observing families, I’ve noticed a couple of interesting things about children and their interests. I’m sure you’ve noticed them as well. Children playing on a cell phone, watching TV, or playing a video game do NOT listen well. They are preoccupied with their TV show, game, text, or pic on the...

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August 15, 2016

How to Raise Happy, Wealthy, & Moral Children

Do you want happy children? How about children who are academically competent? Would you like your children to have a great sense of security today and a greater chance of wealth in the future? Or, maybe you want children who make positive moral choices. Well, you can have all this by practicing this parenting style!...

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August 6, 2016

Fix It, Clean It, Replace It, or Lose It

I worked as a school-based therapist in an inner-city middle school for several years. It was a great experience. I met many wonderful students and amazing teachers. Still, at times I thought we missed the mark when responding to students’ misbehavior. For example, one day a group of girls had a “wet paper towel party”...

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July 30, 2016

Discipline: Time Out or Tuning In

Parents have attempted to use “time out” as a popular discipline technique for years. Unfortunately, it is often misused and, as a result, leads to more arguing and greater parent-child conflict. You might have had the experience of trying to give your child a “time out” only to find yourself in a drawn out argument...

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July 23, 2016

Help Your Children Internalize Great Values

As parents, we want our children to internalize positive values and the discernment to make wise choices. We encourage them to begin developing this kind of maturity early in hopes that, over time, they will internalize the skills necessary to do so independently. How can we help our children internalize the positive values and behaviors...