Parenting Blog

Are you feeling like you are doing more than your fair share of work in the home and you are pleading for a break? Been there, done that! Everyone else is slothing-out practicing their part in the Big Couch Potato contest while you’re slaving away in the kitchen, vacuuming under their feet and getting grunts in return when you ask a question. It’s time to be Superwoman or Superman and break the shackles of servitude. It’s good to serve others, but not so cool to be the only one doing most things in the home. Men, have the days of Deep [...]

Wow! That sounds like a really intellectual heading. Actually, it is. This article was recommended by a PPE parent. Funnily enough, I had just read about it a couple of days before on a social media site. It’s really all about the stereotypes we set in children’s minds by our terminology and attitudes. When I was at school about 100 years ago it seemed like women never thought too much about careers because for most of them motherhood was their aspiration. The jobs that I recall that most women tended to be drawn to were teaching, nursing, secretarial work, banking and [...]

Isn’t it good to be able to belly-laugh? To be able to laugh at a good joke? To laugh along with your friends who have a great sense of humor? To laugh at life instead of being over-serious about the things that we allow our minds to dwell on for a disproportionate amount of valuable time when we could be care-free and skip through the meadows of our dreams. Readers Digest had it right when they always had a section called, ‘Laughter, the Best Medicine’ in their monthly book. So many tales I used to read about hilarious moments of unplanned [...]

I’m bereft of the joy pocket money or an allowance can bring. Growing up, we were too poor for our parents to give three boys an allowance. We had no telephone until I was 15 years old. No TV until I was 16. My middle brother and I had a car before my parents owned one. (They used to ask if they could borrow the car!) We worked really hard physically when we were growing up and were not rewarded for it. Now quit sobbing and throw those soggy tissues in the trash can! My parents raised us with strong discipline [...]

Have you ever wondered why you’re so exhausted all the time? Your sleep index has sunk to an all-time low! Your head’s just about to explode or drag on the ground. Your family ‘taxi’ undergoes a tire change every year because you are burning up the rubber carting your kids to softball, gym, ballet, karate, soccer, football, choir, youth group and Tiddlywinks tournaments! And… you’re thinking, “When is all this going to end? It’s NOT, so long as you choose to be this superhero. Your kid’s thinking, “When are my parents going to stop wanting me to do all these things? [...]

I was the youngest of three boys, all born within 33 months! Do you think we ever had any sibling rivalry? Oh, yes! Three young boys with all that pent-up energy! We hit. We wrestled. We fought with words, yet overall we were really well-behaved children. Our father, (You thought I was going to say the Lord’s Prayer, didn’t you? Well, sometimes we needed to!), used to be an amateur boxer before he got married, so one Christmas three sets of boxing gloves emerged from the wrappings. People ask me, “How did you do?” I told you I was the youngest. [...]

Wow! These last two weeks have been so busy, haven’t they? Many of you will be glad all the hard work is over. Buying gifts, preparing special meals, entertaining relatives, and getting your schedules back in operation can be downright wearisome. Celebrating can be so much fun! Now we settle back into reality. I’d like to suggest, if you can let your imagination wander for a moment, that we keep the attitude of celebration going on a constant basis. You’re saying to yourself, “This guy’s crazy! The heat and sun of his Florida holiday has given him sunstroke!” Well, that may [...]

I absolutely love creating positive memories for others. Throughout my life I have had so much fun. I cannot remember having uproarious fun in our family life when I was growing up. We were poor, without a vehicle, phone or TV, but we were happy and very much loved. I grew up learning how to be responsible from an early age and soon got to know who I really was, discover my purpose and develop good self-esteem. I decided to live my life like every day counted and that every day’s challenges were an opportunity to grow. Time was too short [...]

Who really knows what goes on behind closed doors? There are families that create an ‘inside the home persona’ and another for outside of the home. Children are told that what happens inside the home stays there (a sort of Vegas home model). Fake news is the new social media headache and one that can be very harmful because its premise is lies. So it might be similar when children are told that once they leave the house they are to smile and never let on what is happening at home. Now, the fear of being exposed and admitting we have [...]

Do you remember the first time you stole something? Am I hearing from some of you that you have never stolen anything in your life? How about time? How about someone’s right to justice? How about bringing items home from work you didn’t pay for? How about someone’s honor, respect or reputation? We all do it unless we are conscious that stealing is wider than objects, not that it makes it OK. Why do people steal? It’s because they want something somebody else has, or they want to benefit from somebody else’s weakness or oversight. It is all part of our [...]