Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 3 of 3)

The trends are not looking good for the mental and emotional health of young people, across all demographics. For instance, … More

Raising Countercultural Kids in the United States of Addiction (Part 1)

In the late 1990s, author J.K. Rowling invented the term “muggle” as a derogative term for the normal people of … More

Taking Control of Your Digital Life

Part 3 in the series on becoming “tech-wise” The first two posts in this series laid down a philosophical framework … More

Motivate. Don’t Manipulate Your Kids.

Once again, his room isn’t clean, not by any standard. Her backpack, jacket, and shoes are scattered about the floor … More

Perpetual Parenting

It’s likely that you are being a great parent even when you aren’t thinking about it. You may be doing … More

Kids in Cars Talking Life

The car is where the best stories have a chance to run and really stretch out their legs freely. It’s … More

Connect + Guide + Enjoy = Good Parenting

You are never done parenting. There is never enough time, energy, money, or wisdom to do it all right. Parenting … More

Look Up

Perhaps this video is a bit of an overstatement. It oversimplifies the problem, but I like the main theme. Train … More

Ordinary Parenting

Parenting is messy. It’s often a blender full of emotions, tasks, and conflicts. That why we so often feel pureed … More

Fun = Connection

Have Fun with Your Child ASAP Good parenting has an order of operations. Insides come first. A child should feel … More

The Connected Family

2014 is the first year in American history in which everybody has a mobile device. We are at the saturation … More

The Peril of Productionism

  My wife and I struggle with what I call productionism. It is a variation of perfectionism. It is the … More

Connect With Your Young Teen

First Connect, Then Guide The best parents are the ones who are deeply connected with their children and offer support … More

Living in Crisis

  Our family is in crisis. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last. Three weeks ago, … More

Ten Ways to Help Someone in Personal Crisis

Our family has been going through rough waters related to some serious medical issues, and we have only been making … More

Storm Preparation

A Creeping Crisis Some crises develop gradually. Some are excruciatingly slow. Perhaps it is the approaching death of a parent … More

The Sacred Honor of Being a Parent

A Unique Relationship Parenting is a unique relationship, wherein the parent is authorized by law and by God to protect, … More

Social Development and Kids’ Activities

Social life. Social skills. Social anxiety. Social media. Social Security. She’s so social! When we think of the “social development” … More

Speak Your Kids Up

Here is a sneak peak at the book I am writing about parenting: Kids need to see and hear their … More

Embracing Parenting

Here is a sample from my latest project. It’s a chapter from my not-even-close-to-being-finished book. Feel free to give me … More

From the Mouths of Babes

This from a 6th grade teacher who I respect a great deal: I teach a class titled Emerging Leaders, and … More

With

My sister gave me some great parenting advice: “Did you know that if you sit with your teen while they … More

It’s Never Too Late to Reconnect With Your Child

I could tell that things weren’t right with me and my boy. He was avoiding me. I was annoyed with … More

Mister Rogers

I’m a huge Fred Rogers fan, so I was skeptical when I heard about the video remix recently done about … More

How Do We Live With Our Cell Phones?

We are all in the midst of a cultural revolution, and it’s in the palm of our hands.  We are … More

Protecting Kids From the Inside Out

Unlike consumer products, parenting comes without instructions or guarantees. We all want our children to grow up happy, healthy, successful, … More

Be the Parent!

Found on Facebook. Whoever wrote it, thank you!    

Stop, Look, Listen

Our kids, no matter the age, need us to be with them, explaining what makes one thing beautiful and another … More

Loving Grandpa

One of my favorite 7th grade essays ever is this memoir about a grandfather. Ashley Aucker, is now a 25 … More

Raising Boys to be Real Men

Boys are misunderstood.  Too often, they are disciplined and shamed by their teachers, parents, or grandparents because it is falsely … More