Posts Tagged ‘parenting’
Daily sacrifices
John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” In the last few years, I’ve become a book guy. What I’ve found is that the more you read, the more you appreciate language. Our English language is remarkable. Creatives far more talented than I have…
Read MoreDad-Mode
Do you know what “Dad-Mode” is? You probably do. It’s a protective instinct that surfaces even in the most gentle of parents. It kicks in when one of their kids is threatened or is in danger. All I can say is, “Don’t get in between a father and child when a parent is in ‘Dad-Mode.’”…
Read MoreHow am I doing?
I was asked to write a book review for Amazon. Since I enjoy reading and the author, it was a “no-brainer.” But, it prompted me to think: “What if I asked a friend to write a review of my life? What would that look like? Would it be skewed because he is a friend? Would…
Read MoreA day wasted?
In the Diary of Brooks Adams is an entry about a special day when he was eight years old. He wrote, “Went fishing with my father; the most glorious day of my life,” and through the next 40 years there were constant references to that day and the influence it had on his life. Brooks’…
Read MoreThree Important Things
What are the 3 most important things a parent can teach a child? According to a New York Post survey published December 16, 2018, they are, “Be respectful,” “be thankful for what you have” and “honesty is the best policy.” That’s not a bad list. Seems that if we got these three right, we’d have…
Read MoreGeneration to generation
Christine Caine shared this story at Catalyst West Coast. In the 2000 Olympics in Australia & 2004 Olympics in Athens & 2008 Olympics in Beijing, the 4×400 meter Women’s Relays, the American team should have won each time. They had the best individual runners and had the best record of any other team. They lost…
Read MoreLeadership from Mom
Leadership can be hard to define. On one end it can be specific to Fortune 500 marketplace companies and on the other end, it can be generalized to the way a family operates. There are many who would state that leadership is a commodity that is reserved for a select few. I disagree. Because there…
Read MoreInsurance policy
Life insurance is a basic need. At least that what an op-ed in The Economic Times March 30, 2011, says. It’s the first step in financial planning. In a way, all investments are insurance against financial risk and all insurance is an investment for a better tomorrow, If you’re sitting in your easy chair any…
Read MoreParental Balance
Have you ever spent time around parents that feel they have to provide every opportunity and activity for their kids because they were “neglected” themselves in their own childhood? Maybe you’ve heard them say, “I promised myself I would never do that to my kids.” Maybe you’ve even said it yourself. It actually sounds pretty…
Read MoreFriday night
I was the president of my fraternity in college. Many of us lived in the fraternity house and Friday night we would have a regular poker game. It happened almost every Friday night. Before you get the wrong idea, it was penny poker with a primary goal of just hanging out with friends. I enjoyed…
Read MoreHorror Flick
A few years ago I saw a “horror” movie. You might not call it that, but I do. It was a movie called “Hook.” Robin Williams starred in this Peter Pan remake. Why would I classify it with the horror genre? Let me explain. Peter is a high power businessman. He’s making deals and making…
Read MoreI wish he didn’t say that!
When you hang with people for any time at all, you eventually get in a conversation or overhear a conversation where you say to yourself, “I wish they hadn’t said that.” Maybe you heard a spouse say in the midst of pain, “I married the wrong person.” Maybe they say something the seems out of…
Read MoreChip off the Old Block
“Like Father, like son.” We understand that to mean a son will have traits similar to his father when he reaches adulthood. There are other idioms that convey the same thing. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” “He’s a chip off the old block.” Now, this can be taken both positively or negatively.…
Read MoreDISCOVERY AND ADVENTURE – Issue of Confidence, Parenting
Depending on how you look at it. Teaching is a noble profession. I think you’d have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t believe that. However, if most people are high on teachers, I can’t figure out why they are paid so poorly… but I digress. A good friend of mine was teaching a gathering…
Read MorePARENTS AND KIDS – Issues of Family
My kids are grown. They have their own families. We are enjoying a great season of life now… a richness of conversation, time and activity together that is incredibly significant. I heard a quote years ago from former president George H.W. Bush. In an interview with his wife, he was asked what was his most…
Read MoreWISE PARENTS – Issue of Parenting, Relationships
There is a name that brings an image to mind. It’s the image of sweaty palms, butterflies in your stomach, a quick trip to the bathroom, an internal conversation that goes something like, “Why would someone do that?” or “you must be out of your mind.” The name is Nik Wallenda. He was born into…
Read MoreKIDS CRAVE ATTENTION – Issues of Parenting, Relationships
Have you ever spent time with an attention grabber? You know what an attention grabber is, don’t you? It’s the person who has to be first, has to be the center of attention, or has to be the dominant voice in a conversation. I’m sure as an adult you been to a party or function…
Read MoreSTORY TELLING – Issues of Parenting
Reading to kids or telling pretend stories to your kids or grandkids is becoming a lost art. It’s not that we don’t think it’s important. There isn’t a parent on the planet who doesn’t see the importance and relevance of reading stories or telling bedtime stories to their kids. It’s just that we’re on the…
Read MoreMODELING – Issues of Parenting
People watching. It’s a national pastime. I was hanging out in Atlanta’s airport, killing the four hour delay I was experiencing. I’ve learned to deal with it. It’s a part of traveling and people watching fills the gap. Now it’s interesting to see the variety of people for sure, but what really captivates me is…
Read MoreDISAPPOINTMENT – Relationships, Personal Health
Have you ever run into a movie aficionado who has practically memorized every line from their favorite movie? Not just the familiar ones…but all of the lines, like they were an understudy? I’m not quite that bad, but when it comes to “The Princess Bride,” I’m pretty close. One great exchange between Inigo Montoya and the Man…
Read MoreUNKINDNESS – Issues of Parenting, Relationships
Mean people are the WORST! They just are. Sorry for being so direct, but it fits. I don’t know what the percentages are, but I’m sure there are more nice people than mean people in the world. Now, it depends on the circles you operate in, but we all rub shoulders with this demographic of…
Read MoreA HEART FOR ADVENTURE – Issues of Parenting
Teaching is a noble profession. I think you’d have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t believe that. However, if most people are high on teachers, I can’t figure out why they are paid so poorly… but I digress. A good friend of mine was teaching a gathering of teachers hoping to hone their skills.…
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