No, not peer pressure… parent pressure.  You know, pressure to allow your child to do things that other parents are letting their kids do… watch movies, listen to music, and wear clothes that are inappropriate for your child.  The right decision for your child is usually the road not taken by many.  It’s sometimes a hard and lonely road for a parent, but one that is much more likely to lead to a good life for your...

Sleeping on the job.  An air traffic controller is supposed to oversee and direct all the planes surrounding their airport.  It’s a stressful and tiring job which results in fatigue, and sometimes unexpected naps.  Well, parental fatigue is big, too.  And it’s affecting our kids’ physical and emotional safety.  We can’t fall asleep in the control tower of our children’s lives.  Every time our children leave the...

That’s a question children hear all the time. And we enjoy hearing their answers… a doctor, a teacher, a fireman, a ballerina. But what if the question was not about what they wanted to do for a living, but who they wanted to be as a person? Less about career, and more about character. Imagine your child answering, “I want to be a person of integrity… of wisdom… of courage and conviction. I want to be patient…...

In a letter… that’s right… a letter.  When you write something out, you usually give it more thought, and are more careful with the words you put on paper.  Your spouse will probably receive it better as well, since they can read it over and then think about it privately… and you won’t be there to argue with!  So when I want to address a sensitive subject with my wife… something she said that might have offended...

Superman’s virtually indestructible, but he can be brought to his knees by a tiny piece of rock.  Kryptonite drains him of his powers and makes him vulnerable.  Prolonged exposure will even kill him. Well, what about us mere mortals?  In marriage, we can often see the big things coming.  But the small things… criticism, indifference, keeping score… these little radioactive stones can creep up on us and slowly zap...

My wife, Susan, and I just celebrated 24 years of marriage.  After more than two decades together, you’d think we’d always have smooth sailing… but we don’t.  We both work really hard to have a great marriage.  So, why can’t we get it all together?  It’s our selfish nature… we want things from each other that we don’t always get.  She wants me to cherish, affirm and encourage her. I want her physical affection....

As you're listening to your wife explain a situation or problem, here are a couple of questions to ask yourself: "How does she feel as she’s telling me this?" and "Why is this important to her?" One of the biggest challenges in marital communication is not understanding the emotion and motive behind the message. So, the next time you're not quite following your wife's train of thought, instead of pushing her to...