Imagine…no rules, no boundaries on the basketball court.  Players can run wherever they want…and there’s never a foul.  Well, you get the picture…it would be pure chaos.  You can’t have a game without boundaries, and you can’t have a sane home without going through these 3 phases of creating boundaries for your kids.  And those boundaries for your children must be decided by you in advance and shared with your...

I call it the 3 R's of discipline—remove, reflect and reconnect. First remove. When your child misbehaves, immediately remove him from the situation and send him to his room. When you feel like your child has a calm spirit, move onto the next "R," Reflect. When you and your child reflect, you discuss what happened. Ask your child three questions: "What did you do wrong?" "Why was it wrong?" And "What are you going...

A friend of mine with three teen boys once said they never get into fights. Wow! I can't relate to that. My mom and dad did a good job encouraging me and my two brothers to love one another, and we're best friends today. But we still had brotherly brawls and beat each other up on a few occasions when we were kids. Now, I'm not advocating that, but sibling conflicts do occur. So try not to get down about it. Just...

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...