In our Five Minute Warning letter, we discussed the idea of creating an environment that helps one successfully submit to parental instructions through offering a window of compliance. There is a mental and emotional shift that occurs during that five minutes. Similar to that idea, a dear friend of ours from Trevor’s baseball team shared with us a pearl of wisdom she had heard in a sermon at her church and how she creatively applied [...]
En un viaje reciente de negocios, Rich presenció un momento especial al ver una pareja de negocios de mayor edad que habían llevado a sus dos nietas, quizás de unos 6 y 8 años, para ayudarlos a entregar literatura de la compañía en la recepción del negocio. Cínicamente, Rich inicialmente pensó, “Qué forma más despreciable y barata de usar a tus nietas para promover tus propios intereses del negocio…¡Por qué yo no había pensado en [...]
Charts can be a helpful tool for parents and a fun way to establish schedules or routines, initiate responsibilities, and reiterate expectations. We began using charts when Trevor and Alex were in Preschool/Pre-K. Our first chart had cartoon clip art showing morning and nighttime routine images – Brushing teeth, getting dressed, making the bed, praying, etc. As the boys got older, we used charts to initiate household responsibilities (skills and chores) and reiterate expectations along [...]
El tiempo de crianza se nos está acortando a nosotros al nuestros hijos estar creciendo y preparándose para alzar vuelo. Nuestros preciados pequeños hijos ya están en la secundaria, ¡con la graduación acercándose para el mayor! Cuando nacieron creíamos que los años de los pañales nunca se acabarían y ahora estamos viviendo el dicho, “¡cecen muy rápido!” Al reflexionar en nuestros años de crianza pensamos que sería de ayuda proveerles con un resumen breve de [...]
When you were a child, did anyone teach you how to properly greet a neighbor, a friend or a guest? How to accept a compliment or what the proper behavior should look like at a restaurant or when friends come over for dinner? If so, did you know why it was important that you show such courtesy and respect? One practical piece of advice that has served us well in our parenting is to Role Play [...]
Si hemos aprendido algo en todos los años que hemos dirigido clases de crianza es esto: El proceso de crianza es una serie de transiciones en las relaciones. En nuestra carta de las Etapas de Crianza describimos cuatro etapas y su proceso. Desde el Nacimiento a Trotón – Etapa de Disciplina Desde Trotón a la Niñez – Etapa de Entrenamiento Básico Desde la Niñez a la Adolescencia – Etapa de Entrenamiento Avanzado Desde Joven Adulto [...]
If we’ve learned anything in the years we’ve lead parenting classes, it is this: The parenting process is a series of relational transitions. In our Parenting Phases letter, we described four stages and the relational phases: Birth to Toddlerhood – Discipline Phase Toddlerhood to Childhood – Training Phase Childhood to Teenagers – Coaching Phase Late Teens though Adulthood – Mentoring/Friendship Phase It’s often difficult for parents to transition through each of these phases and make [...]
“Every day is Valentine’s Day!” This is the usual quip Rich jokingly says to Shelly every Valentine’s Day. Yet, joking aside, it does lead to a very important question. Are you intentionally expressing your love on a daily basis and is it being received effectively? Or is it only intentionally expressed on special occasions… like Valentine’s Day? Simply saying “I love you” every day is nice, but sometimes it’s meaning can easily become diluted and [...]
Finding the balance between permissive and authoritarian parenting styles can be challenging. Often times, when left unchecked, they can create behavioral issues with your children and put a strain on marriages. This typically happens when one parent is perceived as fun loving and easy going, while the other is perceived as the harsh disciplinarian. Generally speaking, your parenting style tends to be the opposite of how you were raised. See if one of these descriptions [...]
This past week we began leading a new Parenting from The Tree of Life class. Some of what we, along with Dave and Lis, advise in these weekly letters is derived from the ideas and teachings from this wonderful curriculum. One of the many concepts we love is The Potato Principle. The Potato Principle was born from a dining experience and shared by the Ezzo’s ministry associates Don and Karen Kurtz. It speaks to the [...]