Parenting Articles

In fall and spring a ritual takes place among millions of 14-24 year olds that has nothing to do with school. For one hour every Thursday night they tune in to watch a group of castaways that have been left on an uninhabited island far away. They watch these ordinary people on Survivor form alliances against one another, compete...

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If you are like many parents, the teenage years hit your home like a tornado. In your child’s opinion, you went from being a Zen Master of all things related to life and morphed into their own real world version of Homer Simpson. This child who once was the source of such joy and affirmation in your life now causes you to perp...

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Sitting down for a regular healthy family meal can be a real challenge for working parents. Add to that having a teenager in your home who has an ever-changing schedule and a family meal can seem nearly impossible. But the benefits of those few minutes together as a family is too good to pass up.   Improves Your family Heal...

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Growing up under the watchful eye of his mom and dad, Eric loved going to church. Like most kids, he loved the songs, his teachers, and seeing his childhood friends each week. But even for a kid, church wasn’t just a social thing for Eric. He could clearly remember the summer of third grade during one evening at Vacation Bible...

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I love art museums. My wife and I have gotten to visit some of the finest museums in the country. I feel peaceful and unhurried when I walk along the long hallways of giant paintings of masters from long ago. When I look at a classic painting I see definition, purpose and meaning. Whether its an etherial seascape or a couple of...

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The average American family will spend $765 on immediate family this year for Christmas. If you are like most parents with teenagers, you might as well tack on a couple hundred dollars extra. As they get older, the gifts get more expensive because they are inevitably tech related. Whether your kids are 6 or 16, here are a few t...

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The issue of teen drinking continues to be a source of pain and broken trust for many parents. I’ve seen a growing number of parents  respond to the issue by making the home a “safe haven” for drinking alcohol. The rationale is, “teens are going to drink alcohol. I don’t won’t them to get hurt of hurt someone else ...

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I recently watched the Hatfield and McCoys miniseries from the History Channel. The acting was superb and the storyline was compelling, but it left me with a feeling of unease. The conflict between the two families started over a supposed stolen pig, but after generations of fighting the two families couldn’t even remember the...

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Growing up a kid in a Christian home in the 1970s, the one day each year I was trained to fear was Halloween. It was the Devil’s day after all–the one day out of the year that evil was at its peak, mayhem was rampant, and somehow Satan’s “power” was able to supersede over that which was good. As a m...

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Learning to love one’s neighbor requires a willingness to live as part of the community. If you read part one of this Halloween post, then you know this was never easy for me when it came to Halloween. For me to embrace the idea of celebrating Halloween with my neighborhood meant that there would have to be an act of love ...

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