Every good relationship is built upon honesty. So when we notice our child struggling to tell the truth, we know it’s time to take action. However, Dr. Scott Turansky explains that “common discipline techniques don’t quite address the problem” of lying. Instead, here are some specific ways to encourage honesty. First, be sure to teach your child the difference between playing make-believe and lying. It’s important...

Discipline is an appropriate wake-up call for our kids when they continue to misbehave over and over. But being too harsh in our discipline can cause significant damage. So when harshness becomes the normal way you treat your kids, it may be time to re-evaluate. To help fix this parenting problem, here are two steps to take. First, prepare in the morning how to patiently teach your child a lesson when rule...

Disciplining our children takes dedication and effort. It also helps to mix in a little creativity. So get out of the discipline rut with our twenty one creative consequences. If you have younger children who are messy, try this: set the toy somewhere out of reach but within sight for a few days. Seeing it, but not getting it, will remind them to pick it up and put it away next time. Here’s another one…want your...

It’s important for every parent to know the fundamentals of discipline.  One of the fundamentals is unified discipline. You need to agree on how you will discipline your children—ahead of time.  If a new situation arises, talk privately first and come to agreement with your spouse—before you approach your children.  Show your kids you’re unified, it’s easier for you, and much better for them.  If you have more...

Imagine watching a basketball game without any rules or boundaries. It’d be completely chaotic, right? Well in the same way, parenting without rules or boundaries would be absolute chaos. So today, let’s figure out a game plan to create healthy boundaries for your rebellious teen. First, establish a sideline of rules. It’s important to clarify what you expect of your teen—expectations like being honest,...

You’ve probably noticed by now that each child is very unique. And that means that you need to uniquely discipline them when they’ve disobeyed you. Each child responds to different forms of discipline. Having said that, there are 4 foundational principles of discipline that always apply when you correct your child. First, be unified. Make sure you and your spouse agree on how you’ll discipline your kids. Second,...

Like in sports, setting clear boundaries for your kids is important and it requires intentional planning. So here are 3 healthy boundaries for growing kids. First, establish tight, four square court boundaries for toddlers. Because when kids are young, it’s important to make basic decisions for them—things like what they’ll eat, what they’ll wear, and what they’ll watch. Second, expand to larger football field...