The Holidays — the six weeks of Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas, and New Years — are a magnifier. In general, happy … More
Tag: Encouraging
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
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
Ordinary Parenting
Parenting is messy. It’s often a blender full of emotions, tasks, and conflicts. That why we so often feel pureed … More
Middle School Sports – The Good Stuff
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
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
Mister Rogers
I’m a huge Fred Rogers fan, so I was skeptical when I heard about the video remix recently done about … 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
Disappointing Birth Brings Hope
By Julie Kerckhoff Mary and Joseph had just survived an untimely, government-mandated trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary “great … 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
Middle School: Top Ten Things to Know
The following is an open letter from my boss, Steve Hall, Head of Middle School at Westminster Christian Academy, to … More
I Believe in Encouragement
By Lauren Baum, in her senior English class at Westminster Christian Academy, St. Louis (Class of 2011). Without any hesitation, … More
Never Too Young for Compassion
Sometimes, a single, simple act of compassion can change the world for someone else. As a middle school teacher, I … More
Questions to Ask Kids
Kids want to be known, and not just by their parents (their #1 source of value). They want their teachers, … More
The Value of Pain
As I walk through the halls after school, there is a barrage of faces along my path. Some I know … More
Raising the Perfect Parent
Always Kiss Me Good Night: Instructions on Raising the Perfect Parent (compiled by J.S. Salt) is the best advice that … More
Prepare Them for Life
Protection and provision are not enough. “Here’s the paradox: If we protect our children too absolutely, we actually end up … More
Kindness Matters
Now and then, the tables are turned, and an everyday kid doing a good deed gets some attention. Let’s all … More
Our Friend, Failure
I once heard a speaker named Dan Miller at an educator’s conference tell the audience about how he learned to … More
Well-Mannered Teen Rebels
With the decline of civility and manners in public life, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that so many young people lack … More
Training Up Independent Kids
Embracing Mistakes; Developing Problem-Solvers Thomas Edison believed that failure was not a bad thing; it merely directed him closer to … More
Role Models
Charles Barkley, the great basketball player and television personality, once said at the height of his NBA career, “I’m not … More
Growing Up Well 