“Boys will be boys – nothin’ but trouble” is an old saying that was used in a song by the Miami Sound Machine. It makes it sound as if boys will be bad because they are boys. It almost appears that it is bad to be a boy. I wonder what God was thinking in […]
Posts
Most of the stuff today’s parents worry about – and let’s face facts…the worrier in question, the worrier supreme, is almost always the mother (not because of some weakness, but simply because she consumes parenting media that, as a rule, generate lots of worry) – is not worth the emotional energy. Left alone, it will […]
December 3, 2020 I believe, in its entirety, the account of the life, execution, and resurrection of Christ Jesus, Lord and Savior of all who come to believe in him. To be clear, I believe His grace is freely offered to all, to embrace or reject as each sees fit.I qualify as a paradoxical believer. […]
During my childhood, my parents would occasionally remark that I was developing “some very bad habits.” They were, in fact, spot on. Looking back, I did develop a handful or two of bad habits as a child, a habit being something a person does repetitively, without thinking. That is not to say that people are […]
As you can imagine, sibling conflict is inevitable because unlike other relationships, your kids don’t choose each other. They are “thrown into” a relationship. Some siblings have lots of conflicts, some have none. Some have conflict with one sibling and not another. But all siblings have conflict. There is a way to avoid it but […]
Q: We have ten grandchildren, spread between three of our kids. They all live within an hour’s drive, so we see them often. We want to be involved in their lives and to be good influences. Our problem is with the parents. None of them are receptive to any advice or information we try to […]
As the current school year kicked off, I began hearing the same-old, same-old report from teachers and principals: children who have never lied. At least, that is what the parents of said children claim. When one of these highly-evolved kids is accused of misbehaving at school, his parents ask him for his side of the […]
Make ‘Em an Offer They Can’t Refuse When I was a child, my most important possession was my bicycle, followed closely by my radio. My bike was how I got around. I rode it to school, friend’s houses, pick-up baseball games, shopping centers, and just about anywhere else my heart desired and my parents would […]
Are parents responsible for the sort of people their children become? That’s this week’s question, and the answer is no, albeit equivocally. Several parents have recently written me bemoaning the lifestyles their adult children have chosen to lead – lifestyles that feature addictions, criminality, and flagrant irresponsibility. (The operative word in the previous sentence, by […]
Parent Question My younger boy, age 5 is on the ticket system. When he loses his tickets he go upstairs to his room for the rest of the day except meals. Problem is he doesn’t stay in his room. He sits at the top of the stairs right outside his bedroom door and has a […]