Family by God&#039;s Design

The Power of “The Dad Joke”

My daughters have accused me of telling “Dad jokes.” I don’t know what they’re talking about. Even some of their friends have accused me of telling dad jokes. I asked for clarification of the “Dad joke” and knew their answer could not describe my jokes…”lame,” “silly,” “sarcastic,” “uncool.” Well, maybe I do that once in...

Celebration Family Shepherds

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October 26, 2015

A Green-Eyed Monster has Possessed My Preschooler

The green-eyed monster of jealousy can raise its ugly head in all of us. Who hasn’t felt a tinge of jealousy when our loved one gives the attention we desire to another? That green-eyed monster can even possess our sweet little preschoolers, twisting their faces with pain and filling their actions with anger. It’s not...

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October 10, 2015

Pope Francis on Family: A Factory or A Nursery

Pope Francis made several important and insightful statements about the family during his unscripted remarks made “from the heart.” You can read several of these comments in the Catholic Herald or the New York Times. I would like to take a moment and expand upon one of his statements…and, if it I may be so bold, modify...

Family Shepherds Honor

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September 21, 2015

Prime Your Children for a Good School Day

School has begun. That means getting our children up in the morning and off to school on time. If that isn’t hard enough, we want to get them off in the morning while everyone stays in a good mood. Not an easy task. However, there are steps we can take to make the morning go...

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August 17, 2015

Does Your Child Get a Choice or a Voice?

H.G. Ginott made an important distinction between a child’s voice and a child’s choice in his book Between Parent and Child. Children need to have choices. Giving our children choices builds their sense of responsibility. It helps them learn that choices have consequences; so they learn to choose wisely. Choices allow our children to become...

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August 10, 2015

Lincoln on the Parental Tyrant

My family and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to visit family in Illinois. While there, we visited the Lincoln Museum and Lincoln’s home in Springfield. As we toured a home in Lincoln’s community, I read a quote by Mary Todd Lincoln: “He [Lincoln] always said, ‘It is my pleasure that my children are free, happy...

Celebration Family Shepherds

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August 1, 2015

Parenting Advice from Horton the Elephant

I really enjoyed the 2008 movie Horton Hears a Who. Of course, I love Dr. Seuss. Who doesn’t? He has given us wonderful children’s stories that include the deeper, more significant lessons of life for kids and adults alike. For instance, Horton the elephant offers a lesson every parent needs to learn. Horton states this...

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July 27, 2015

Six Ingredients to Strengthen Your Parental Authority

Children develop and mature best with parents who practice benevolent authority in the home. Children gain a sense of security knowing their parents not only have power, but use that power to establish and enforce a loving structure in the home. Still, not just any authority will do. Children benefit most from a benevolent authority...