Some children seem to have the knack of making friends easily, while others struggle. If your child is one who has a hard time making friends, there are 4 things you can encourage them to do. First, smile so people will know you're friendly. Second, compliment your new friend so they know you like them. Third, ask questions to get to know your friend better. Fourth, invite your friend to our house to play. ...

If you know a single parent—a mom or a dad—you may not realize the unending struggles they face. Making a living, maintaining a house, and meeting the never-ending needs of their family are hard enough when there are two parents sharing the work. But single parents do it all themselves. If only they had some relief in sight... Well, you and I can give that relief. Let's treat their family to dinner, baby-sit so...

Practically everything you purchase these days comes in a protective shell. The covering is designed to keep out dust and dirt, and to protect the contents from damage. Many of us parent the same way. We wrap our children up to protect them…we want to keep them isolated from harm and potential hurt. We have car seats, bumper guards, and baby wipes. As they grow, we try to keep them from bad influences and...

It's tough. In a "me" focused world, getting your kids to focus on others is challenging. So, how do you do it? Well, last night, we took a shot at it…with a little coercion…we got our teens together. We assembled some "manna" or food bags for the homeless and hungry. We filled large zip lock bags with non-perishable items like granola bars, beef jerky, peanuts, fruit cups, and vegetable juice. Now, when we're out...

A good listener? Hardly. But maybe a good lecturer. So what does it mean to be a good listener? Well, I'll give you a couple of hints… its more than the absence of talking… and it doesn't involve multitasking when your child is speaking to you. Listening is the active process of hearing what our child is saying, looking at their eyes and body language for clues, processing it all to determine what's really going...

If your kids have a difficult time keeping up with their responsibilities at home, then create a chore chart. The one in our house works like this. We list the kids' names across the top. Then, down the side, we list the chores, such as taking out the garbage, washing the dishes, cleaning their room and doing the laundry. After the kids complete a chore, they check it off. So stop nagging and try a chore chart...

Talking to your kids about sex is probably as uncomfortable for you as it is for them. But if you think it's ok to avoid that discussion—think again. The January 2011 issue of Seventeen Magazine interviewed teens for a national survey on sex, and the findings are disturbing. Teens are increasingly putting themselves at great physical and emotional risk by having pre-marital sex. And sadly, almost a fourth say...