The Fine Art of Deciding Together
Have you ever met a person who refuses to make decisions together? You might ask, “What shall we have for supper?” and the uncooperative response may be, “I don’t care. You decide.” Or you say, “I’m thinking we might take a trip to the coast this year. What do you think?” only to hear, “Does it really matter? We always do...
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7 Facebook Essentials for Kids
#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 to time....
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The Five Levels of Intimacy
First comes love…or sex?
“First comes love, then comes marriage, then here they come with a baby carriage.” You may recognize this little rhythm my generation used to sing to embarrass each other. Based on today’s culture the rhythm could go: “First comes sex, then comes living together, and the baby carriage could happen anytime or...
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10 Great Reasons to Eat Dinner as a Family
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...
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Allowing Kids to Fail
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,...
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Romancing Your Wife
Guys, let’s face it. Some of us have a long way to go in the romance department. We know our wife wants it, we know we’re supposed to do it, but it just doesn’t come naturally to us.
When we first begin to court a woman, our step is lighter and our inner Romeo is unleashed. Driven to win her heart, romantic creativity seems to flow easily....
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Understanding Cutting
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 - what it is, who does...
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