There’s just no respect.
A friend of mine was sharing with me not too long ago. He was talking about his teen son who wasn’t treating him very well. Then he proceeded to tell me about some of the things he was doing. Feeling a little [...]
My kids would die without their cell phones.
What have we done? We’ve created a connected generation. According to Common Sense Media, of teens who have smartphones, they’re spending a little more than 4.5 hours on their phones every day.1 That’s 4-plus hours a day that they’re not [...]
My daughter is so negative—how do I fix it?
An anonymous parent wrote to me a few weeks ago. She said every time she picks up her daughter from work or school, her daughter would complain about her job, coworkers, or even her friends at school. It was a constant [...]
How do I help my kids process the news?
Wow, your kids watch the news? I can’t get my 18-year-old to watch it very often. Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram are common distribution points for kids. I’ve been a journalist since 1983. EVERY journalist is biased. In times past, the [...]
Tattoos are in—I want one.
I don’t know how you feel about tattoos, but I don’t like them. Other people can have them, that’s fine. But for me, I just couldn’t mark up my skin with something I’ll probably get sick of in just a [...]
Everybody else can date. Why can’t I?
Dating. Just the thought of it means different things for different people. What young person doesn’t think about meeting that perfect somebody, in the hopes that they’ll spend the rest of their lives with them? I wanted to date as [...]
I’m going to do better this year, I promise.
If you’ve ever had a child who has difficulty focusing and applying themselves in school, you’re not looking forward to a new school year, are you? In some respects, you’re hoping they turn over a new leaf and apply themselves. [...]
Don’t forget, your family wants to see you, too.
Our kids’ high school days are FULL of activities. Athletics, clubs, student council, music, and the list can go on and on. At church, there’s youth group, small group, worship team, babysitting, and more. It’s easy to lose those intimate moments [...]
It’s Sunday. We always go to church on Sunday.
Motivating our kids to get up on Sunday to get to church can be pretty difficult. Teens especially are more interested in sleeping till noon than getting up “early” to get to church. It hasn’t been easy for my family, either—until [...]
My 15-year-old is dating a basketball player.
Dating. It’s not a good word for a lot of families, including mine. Everybody has their own set of values, and I understand that. But at a time where our culture has sexualized just about every facet of life, dating [...]