What really motivates teenagers? If you’re like me, when you watch teen-oriented media like Pretty Little Liars, Secret Life of the American Teenager, or Glee, it’s easy to conclude that teens desire sex, alcohol, and money. Certainly each of these vices are unhealthy traps that teens fall into, but a new study shows th...
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“I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” – Psalm 119.93 We have all had those days when you feel like nothing is happening; nothing is changing. You are at a standstill. There is simply no spark. In the middle of this dessert your teen walks in with a crisis that needs fixing or a pr...
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If your family is like mine, you love basking in the pleasure of summer break. There are no tests, science fair projects, homework, or anything else that resembles school. This also means your child is at home all day long, everyday, with lots of idle time on his hands. We all know what the idle mind of a twelve year old can bec...
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My kids call me “the king of deals.” It no longer surprises them when I come home with something that I got for next to nothing. Most recently it was the $1500 living room suite that I got for $300. Its not always something as big as this. Many times its as simple as six boxes of pasta I got for free or .99 dry clean...
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Our culture loves creating scapegoats. When the economy goes bad, we point fingers at the President. When kids don’t make high enough grades, we blame teachers. When a marriage crumbles, it’s always the other person’s fault. When we feel afraid, hurt, or disappointed, a scapegoat is never far out of reach. We do the same t...
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I didn’t mean for it to happen. As much as I wanted to come up with some justifiable reason for my loss of temper, there wasn’t one. I overreacted. And my 12-year-old daughter got the brunt of my anger. Before I knew it, words were coming out of my mouth that were beyond what was called for in the situation. Instead of const...
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