When my children were first born, I did something radical. I didn't really decorate their room. Part of it was a money issue; we had so little cash, and we were trying to save for a down payment for a house. I thought putting our money into an apartment sized washing machine would be a far better use of our... >Read More

Tags: bedroom, better parenting, castle, character development, child, child's room, children, Family, kids, parenting, parenting essentials, Shelia Wray Gregoire, values

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Teach your kids to cook so you don't have to! Here's my philosophy in a nutshell: Each year after age 10, they learn to make one meal per year. So at 11 they can make 1. At 12 they can make 2. At 13 they can make 3. And so on, and so on, and so on. That way, when they move out... >Read More

Tags: better parenting, children, cook, cooking, Family, kids, parenting, parenting essentials, Shelia Wray Gregoire, teenagers, teens, values

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#1 Parents must have the password The password is the key to unlock the door for full access into your child’s Facebook profile. It must be shared with the parents and only with the parents! This is essential for accountability and building trust in the relationship as it allows parents to spot check the News Feed and Inbox from time... >Read More

Tags: better parenting, children, essentials, Facebook, Family, FamilyLife Canada, FamilyLife Favs, internet, Jason & Kelli Krafsky, marriage, parenting essentials, peer pressure, social media, teenagers, teens

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I have my meals planned this week. But rather than posting my plan (it's just pasta Monday, fish Tuesday, meatless on Wednesday, frozen leftovers on Thursday), I thought I'd post my rationale for eating together.  When I was out walking recently, my daughter Katie said to me, "You know what I like about our family, Mommy? We eat together. It's...... >Read More

Tags: attitude problems, better parenting, character develoment, Culture, dinner, eat together, Family, FamilyLife, FamilyLife Favs, menu planning, parenting essentials, plan ahead, quality time, Shelia Wray Gregoire, teenages, teens, values, World

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Every now and then, an idea explodes through our collective consciences, challenging our notions about how life works. It happened in the fifteenth century when Galileo argued that the earth was round. It happened in the eighteenth century when upstarts in North America decided they wanted to govern themselves. And I hope, for some of you parents,...... >Read More

Tags: better parenting, character development, children, consequences, fail, Family, FamilyLife Canada, FamilyLife Favs, guide, parenting essentials, parents, Shelia Wray Gregoire, succeed, teach, teenagers, values

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There was a video on CNN yesterday that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t footage from Thailand, or election coverage.  It is a video of a little 5 year old girl  sitting in front of an image of 5 cartoon children. The children are all wearing the same dress and the same expression, only the color of their skin... >Read More

Tags: beauty, better parenting, character development, Family, family issues, family values, in the news, parenting, parenting essentials, racism, Self, social issues, World

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My daughter cut herself for the first time when she was 12 years old. Today, 11 years later, she is still struggling to overcome this problem. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about "self-harm" and it scared me to death. I was shocked and bewildered that she would do such a thing. It’s important to understand cutting -... >Read More

Tags: anxiety, attitude problems, better parenting, challenges & conflict, Culture, cutting, Dena Yohe, family issues, FamilyLife Favs, fear, grief, hardship & suffering, harm, health, LIFE, parenting, parenting essentials, peer pressure, Self, self-harm, self-mutilation, slashing, slicing, suicide, teenagers, teens, World

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