I’ve never been big on cable, or in this case Dish, TV until we moved to the outskirts of town and it was the only option to get any reception. In the beginning, I was excited to see some of the channels which came with the package, like the Disney channel, but after a year of seeing what my 8 year old daughter was watching, I understand now why she is growing up with a bad attitude.

The shows on Disney that I find my daughter watching have no parental figures in them. If there are adults or parents in the shows, they are usually portrayed as stupid, immature, and lacking in any type of real authority. Shows such as Austin and Ally and Shake It Up rarely show parents at all. The kids are running the show and living the good life. The main characters treat everyone─friends and enemies alike─terribly. Continue reading Good-Bye Disney Channel →

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all that demands our attention. Recently, I found myself hyperventilating whenever I thought about my schedule for the an upcoming week. My wife was in 5 showings of South Pacific, my daughter had dance practice, a dance rehearsal and 2 performances – all of which were taking place Wednesday through Saturday. Just the thought of my evenings being this busy was freaking me out.

Every time I thought about the week my anxiety level would go through the roof. I had to manage my busy week at work, prepare all the meals, ensure homework was done, make sure everyone was where they needed to be – on time, make my appearance at a couple shows and helplessly watch the grass grow as it screamed, “mow me” every time I pulled into the driveway. Continue reading One Stepping Stone at a Time →

Have you ever tried to reason with a child that thinks they know everything?

I would venture to guess that every parent has experienced such an event. Where do children get this stubbornness from and why must they be so unwilling to change their point of view? I remember when my daughter was 7, she got on the Justin Bieber band wagon however, she constantly referred to him as Justin Beaver. No matter how many times I corrected her she refused to listen. She was right and I was wrong, what does dad know anyhow?

Children can develop a “know it all” mentality at a very young age and they can become upset if challenged. It is difficult for them to see things from another perspective, especially since they are so absorbed in themselves. As parents, we can expect this to some degree. The child is asserting their individuality and independence but the problem occurs when the behavior is carried into adulthood. Continue reading Cost of Being Right →

As a parent I often avoid using the term failure around my daughter. I don’t want my child to think I am a failure or worse yet that she is one. However, without ever talking about failure or letting her see that I fail from time to time I am not doing a very good job teaching her about failure.

Plain and simple – there is no avoiding failure. We all experience it, struggle with it, our kids struggle with it, no one is immune from failure. Failure is a very important part of life. If everything came easy we wouldn’t have the stress we need to push on as humans. Many of us may think we know it all but in reality most of us know very little and will make mistakes. Each day we are faced with several opportunities to fail and each day we are given the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and succeed. Continue reading Teaching Your Children about Failure →

Kids make mistakes! Sometimes very BIG ones but they still require love, patience, understanding and fairness when dealing with the choices they have made.

As parents we are well aware of the fact that kids make mistakes. No matter how much we tell them right from wrong, good from bad they still find ways to give us a scare from time to time. I remember when my daughter was 8-years old, her and a friend decided to skip the bus and walk home from school (over 3 miles). At some point, they deduced that with how long the trip felt and all the stops the bus had to make they could easily get home quicker walking than riding the bus.

You can easily imagine the terror I felt when my child did not get off the bus as expected. The media has conditioned me well to think the worst. Quick note about our media; they typically show the exceptions, the worst that happens in our society. It isn’t the norm because the norm doesn’t get people worked up or increase ratings. Okay, back to the story… luckily while I was walking back from the bus stop my phone rang and it was a good samaritan who found our children a mile from the school. On a positive note; at least the kid knew my cell number. Continue reading Kids Make Mistakes →

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could remove the word “mine” from your child’s vocabulary. Unfortunately, you can’t, and your child will use the word “mine” often.

It seems as if children instinctively don’t like sharing their toys with friends or family members, even if they’re not playing with that said toy at the moment. But you know that you cannot allow your child to hoard all the toys, and you know that you cannot allow them to scream and cry and throw a fit just because someone else wants to use something of theirs. This is why it’s important to teach your child how to share, and even though it may seem like a challenge, the following five tips are great ways to help your child learn how to share.
Continue reading 5 Great Ways To Teach Your Toddler How To Share →

Who is the best parent you know? It could be your mom, your husband, the little lady who lives across the street, or anyone else you know. Chances are you’ve noticed someone’s parenting skills and been rather impressed by them. The reason people are good parents isn’t because they were born that way. I bet that person has worked really hard and been through a lot before you decided they were a great parent. Today is about you improving your parenting skills so you become one step closer to amazing at the end of every day.

Parenting is one of the easiest and hardest jobs you will ever undertake. There is obviously going to be fun times, but you’ll also come up against things that will push you to the edge. That’s only natural and it happens to be best of us, but it’s the way that you learn from things that make you a good parent. Let’s take a look at some valuable things people have improved on in the past so you can learn from them. Your child is lucky to have someone who is always looking to be better. Continue reading 5 Ways To Become An Even Better Parent Than You Were Yesterday →