All Episodes

Kids are all over the place. Keeping up with them is a hassle. Teaching and molding them is an even greater task. Here I offer two keys to "training them up in the ways of the Lord, so that, when they grow old, they will not depart from him." (Proverbs 22:6). Active Listening is the royal road to healthy relationship with your kids. Knowing the Four Stages of Parenting helps you stay in sync with them. Keep these tools in mind, as you find teachable moments with them.

Every family has at least one character. You know, the one who draws attention in funny, silly ways, the jokester. Having a character in your family, however, is different from helping your kids build character. In this podcast, I list several ways for parents to help their kids build character.

The only 3 universal events all of experience are death, taxes, and change. Change happens. It's how we handle it that matters. The tone you set for your kids will greatly impact how they handle change in their lives. Here I offer 2 rules of change. Get these rules in your head and you can set the tone for how well your kids handle inevitable change.

You don't have to, but you want to. Nobody told you to. You came up with it all by yourself. This is the origin of being kind. Isn't is strange that we may give up our seat on public transit for an elderly or handicapped person, but we're not typically kind to those we love? Check out these comments to find three encouragements for becoming kinder in your family.
 

All kids act out. It's one way that they explore their world, assert themselves, and nurture their natural curiosity. However, there are three kinds of acting out that create difficulties both for you as the parent as well as for your child. Check out this podcast to learn more.

Have you ever had your child jerk your chain so hard that you couldn't wait to give them a piece of your mind (or maybe THE BELT)? What parent hasn't? Today I have such an example. However, I put the example in context as a learning experience for your child. Making your child into a "mini-me" is not the goal of parenting. While our kids are the best and the worst of both of their parents, first and foremost they are who they are. The takeaway" Kids will be kids.

As parents, we all are hard-wired to fix things, problem-solve, kiss the boo-boo. That is sufficient most of the time. But what about when your child is in an emotional meltdown? That's when he needs your compassion. Help him to weather the emotional storm before trying to make things better. This way, you give him the tools to right his own ship when he's grown and you're not always there anymore. Check this out. Blessings, Jon

Families have drama all the time. It comes in all shapes and sizes. How you handle the drama in your house sets the tone for all others living there. I've given three examples, the wrong ways to handle them, and a sample of healthier ways to handle them. Make sense? If you want to share your drama with me, contact me at www.thereformykids.com.

Every parent has a superpower, but often it goes unused. When things are great at home, at work, with your kids, well, life doesn't get much better than that. When things are not so great, that's the time to invoke your superpower. Resilience is your superpower. In this column, I explain all the facets of resilience and give an example of mom using resilience to recapture equilibrium. Check it out.

Are you an "Ella?" She's a young mom caught up in a life she can't seem to escape. She has spent all of it preparing to die. In my brief article, I share the differences between preparing to die and preparing to live. Some minimal lifestyle changes can make a world of difference. Blessings, Jon

Home stretching the school year. Time to get summer plans started. In the first letter, mom frets over summer expenses, kids' activities, and not getting enough me-time. Planning ahead and delegating, with accountability, works wonders. In the second letter, mom is all over an upcoming residential move ruining summer fun activities. I encourage planning for both/and, rather than either/or. Families can both get the packing/moving/unpacking successfully done and also make time for fun during planned breaks.

Even though the pandemic is mostly behind us, some families are still reeling from its effects. My first letter asks about using family planning meetings to plan for summer activites. I encourage full participation, using active listening and problem solving to create a great, fun summer for all. A mom writes me in the second letter feeling overwhelmed with kid activities and bemoaning no  time for herself. I encourage her to look at the circumstances in both/and terms, not in either/or terms. With supervision and accountability in place, there can be self-caring for mom without kids running wild.

Stuff happens. Even bad stuff can happen. How you all respond to it helps define the kind of family you are. In my response to the first letter, I help a mom sort out ways to help her younger son deal with tragedy that befell her older son. In my response to the second letter, mom is befuddled as to why her 5-year-old has migraine headaches and how to deal with them. Feeling a kindred spirit? Check them out.

Showing interest and involvement in your child's schooling is a blessing of good parenting. Where she might be having difficulties, it can be helpful for you to supplement her classes with schooling at home. The one-on-one attention you give her can help her catch up, become more interested, and enrich her potential. Emily Graham, a "mighty mom" indeed, offers suggestions for maximizing your child's school experience.

Danger lurks and tragedy can occur in a nanosecond. Being aware of some statistics regarding child safety will help you focus on prevention. Know the potential dangers and take the appropriate precautions. Check out the quicklink references for more information.