Our kids are constantly evaluated on their abilities at school, in sports, in the arts and even at home. But what about you?  What grade would your kids give you as a parent?  Well, here’s a way to make an A every time.  Remember the 6 A’s of parenting.  First is Affirmation.  When your children are sharing their feelings or opinions, they want you to listen to them, identify with them and affirm them.  Second is...

There are many times when we must stand strong as parents and say “no” to our children, especially when something is not what’s best for them.  Because I often say “no” to my kids, I am always searching for more ways to say “yes.” So, every time one of my kids asks me to do something with them, I do my best to figure out how to make it happen even though it’s inconvenient or even though I had other plans.  When it...

Maybe you’ve had a bad day at the office, or you’re stressed about the bills. You’re grouchy, you’re ready to unload, and you let the words fly. You take out your frustration on your mate hoping they’ll take the bait. Well, there’s a better way to vent.  Instead of creating conflict, try these 3 ways to fight conflict in your marriage.  When you see your spouse, just say, "I’m cranky." They’ll ask why, and that’s...

In our search for new energy supplies, we are learning more about the value of our natural resources and how to harness and channel them in the right direction. Well, you have a very valuable "natural resource," and it's important that you T.A.P. into it. T stands for Take … take a personal inventory of your strengths and write them down. A is for Ask…ask people you trust what they see as your greatest abilities....

My wife, Susan, and I knew a couple…let's call them Sally and Greg. They were always so sweet and kind to each other…so affectionate and attentive. We always looked at their marriage and wondered why ours wasn't as wonderful. Well, shortly after we drooled over this dreamy relationship, they went through a terrible divorce. What seemed like a magical marriage publicly was actually a dreadful relationship...

In a study done by the University of North Carolina, underage children were able to buy cigarettes on the Internet in 76 out of 83 attempts. These kids were monitored by the researchers in the study. How closely do you monitor your own children’s use of the Internet? Do you know what your child types into Google’s search engine? What ground rules have you discussed, what safeguards do you have in place? Help your...