We’re conditioned to react negatively to the word “no.” We don’t like to hear it… and we don’t like to say it. We thrive on saying “Yes” to ourselves—to our own wants and desires—to a new car, the latest gadget, an expensive vacation.  So why are we surprised when our kids expect instant gratification? If we can’t say “No” to ourselves, how will they learn to say “No” to themselves and realize the rewards of...

Talking to your kids about sex is probably as uncomfortable for you as it is for them.  But if you think it’s ok to avoid that discussion—think again. The January 2011 issue of Seventeen Magazine interviewed teens for a national survey on sex, and the findings are disturbing.  Teens are increasingly putting themselves at great physical and emotional risk by having pre-marital sex.  And sadly, almost a fourth say...

As a boy, his mother soothed him to sleep by chanting rhymes. As he grew older, he started drawing cartoons. Then, he combined those two skills into a book with rhymes and illustrations. That first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before being published. Wow! Talk about perseverance; after it was published, he didn’t stop. Over the course of his life, he wrote and...

It drives you crazy when he makes snap decisions, but his resolve was one of the reasons you fell in love with him.  It bothers you that she’s always talking to her friends, but her bubbly personality is what drew you to her in the first place.  So what should you do if your spouse is annoying you?  Spend the rest of your lives irritated with each other?  Of course not.  Instead, you should remember and appreciate...

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...

A good listener?  Hardly.  But maybe a good lecturer.  So what does it mean to parent as 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...

It’s opening day for Major League Baseball’s spring training. Adam Greenberg, who first reached the major leagues in 2005 with the Chicago Cubs was tragically hit in the head with the very first pitch he saw. He got vertigo and was sent down to the minors, where he continued to play.  His dream was shattered.  But he picked up the pieces and he didn’t quit dreaming about getting one more shot at the big leagues. ...