I was walking along Canal Street in New Orleans with Bob, a friend, colleague, and a good Catholic man. He described his continuing challenge to be the man he wants to be. Often he falls short in one area or … Read more
Category: Parenting
Newton’s Third Law
Newton’s third law of motion teaches us that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. I suspect that his law applies to human relationships just as much as rolling rocks. Every action evokes a reaction. When we attack someone, … Read more
The Surprising Cost of Parenting Programs
by H. Wallace Goddard
All ideas on parenting are not created equal, and some “good ideas” may not be so good as others.
There is a general law that you get what you pay for. It seems that cheap chips … Read more
The Problem with Bribing Your Kids
A big chunk of parenting time and energy is spent trying to get children to do some things or stop them from doing others. In the course of trying to get our children to “behave,” most of
When We Ask the Wrong Question We Always Get the Wrong Answer
by H. Wallace Goddard
Recently I served on a panel at a parenting conference. At the end of the panelists’ presentations we invited questions from the audience. A young and earnest mother with a baby in her arms asked, “I … Read more
Solving Parenting Problems
Sometimes the harder we try to solve a problem with a child, the worse it gets. For example, when we nag children to hurry and get ready, they drag their heels. The more we demand that they eat a certain … Read more
Teaching Our Children to Love and Serve Each Other
Quarreling and bickering among siblings are painfully common in family life. It seems that the natural child is an enemy not only to God but also to brothers and sisters.
While children are declared innocent because of the atonement (D&C … Read more
Teaching Our Children to Trust God
“Believe in yourself.” “Love yourself.” “Trust yourself.” These messages abound. The very modern and progressive remedy for mortal misery is to build faith in the self. Many of us have tried this formula in our own lives. We have taught … Read more
Effective Parenting is More than Limits and Consequences
Imagine that your 5-year-old is playing with his toys when a neighbor child comes to the door asking your child to come out and play. Let’s imagine that you had established earlier in the day that you expected your son … Read more
Better Ways of Disciplining
I was chatting with a friend in the entrance to his garage one Saturday morning. As we spoke, his young son rode into the garage on his bike and parked it in front of the old family station wagon. Apparently, … Read more