Practically everything you purchase these days comes in a protective shell. The covering is designed to keep out dust and dirt, and to protect the contents from damage. Many of us parent the same way. We wrap our children up to protect them…we want to keep them isolated from harm and potential hurt. We have car seats, bumper guards, and baby wipes. As they grow, we try to keep them from bad influences and...

It's tough. In a "me" focused world, getting your kids to focus on others is challenging. So, how do you do it? Well, last night, we took a shot at it…with a little coercion…we got our teens together. We assembled some "manna" or food bags for the homeless and hungry. We filled large zip lock bags with non-perishable items like granola bars, beef jerky, peanuts, fruit cups, and vegetable juice. Now, when we're out...

Some people wouldn't say much, but some would say degrading things about their spouse. Sure, affairs do happen when things are going well in a marriage. But sometimes, there have been years of neglect and loneliness…years of two people failing to give and love. As my wife and I often say to each other, there are always two sides to every story. And just as it may take two to pull the relationship apart, it takes...

A good listener? Hardly. But maybe a good lecturer. So what does it mean to be a good listener? Well, I'll give you a couple of hints… its more than the absence of talking… and it doesn't involve multitasking when your child is speaking to you. Listening is the active process of hearing what our child is saying, looking at their eyes and body language for clues, processing it all to determine what's really going...

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....

Every family has those moments. You know the ones…the grownups who just can't seem to get along when the family gets together for the holidays. Well, why not take a page from history? For many years, the Presidential family has been given a turkey for their family meal. The bird is intended to be roasted, fried, baked or fricasseed, but instead of getting what he deserves, the President pardons the poultry. ...

Soon after my wife and I were married, we made a discovery. It seemed like when we argued, it was at night… when we were tired and irritable from a long day. So we set a curfew on serious discussions: nine o'clock is the limit. Now, when we start to get into a heavy talk after nine, we remind each other that it's late, we're not going to resolve anything tonight, and we can talk about it tomorrow. The next...