Your email has a feature that sends out a quick response to whoever's trying to contact you. That's fine for emails, but many of us carry that auto-reply mode into our daily conversations. Your kids ask you to play with them after work. Your auto reply is, "Not right now." Your spouse asks you to help with something around the house, without missing a beat, you reply, "I'm busy now. I'll do it later." Well,...

The male Zeus bug, a tiny water bug common along Australia's east coast, hitches a ride on the female for up to a week, counting on the female to feed him and mate with him at will. That's a bug's life. It's all take and no give. Sound familiar? Well, in the lives of humans there's a law of diminishing returns when one side always gives and the other always takes. Marriage needs to be a 100%/100%,...

The teachers I know tell me it's being an involved parent. Teachers invest a lot of their life into your child. They spend countless hours preparing lessons, grading papers and pouring knowledge into the minds of the children in their care. In most cases, the only time they hear from a parent is when something goes wrong. So if you really want to show your appreciation, be a present parent. Get involved in...

Maybe you're buying your wife some flowers or you're taking her out for a nice lunch. Well all that is wonderful but be sure to help your children honor Mom too. If they're really small let them color a card for her—or you buy one and let them scribble on it. If your kids are older have them use some of their allowance money to get her something of their choosing. This will help teach your children that they...

By the time boys are 4 to 6 years old, they often feel the need for a masculine role model. And that need doesn't change as boys grow older. If your son's father is not in the picture, another adult male you trust needs to be involved in his life. You might find a man to mentor your son through a mentoring program. Or, you might have some male relatives, friends, or neighbors who would be good role models for...

If you really want to know, ask a single parent. Their job is never-ending. Their work is never done. Day after day they carry the load … alone. No wonder they often feel like they have the whole world on their shoulders. So how can we help single moms or dads? Start with the little things. The next time you're washing your car, offer to wash theirs too. Drop off dinner, or watch their children for the evening, so...

We had some lovebirds at our home, and I can tell you that these birds have more to offer to us than just a cute name. Lovebirds mate for life and get their name because they sit together in pairs for long periods of time, preening and cooing. These birds live in smaller communities and form relationships with other pairs. Lovebirds teach us three lessons. First, we need to be committed to our spouse for life....