It may seem cliché, but our lives are really made up of what we remember. Choosing to focus on and remembering the good times is a great strategy for maintaining a healthy marriage. Pictures and objects play a vital role in what and how we remember things. If you want to increase your feelings of … Read More
There are no good or bad words. There are times when we use yes and no without beating around the bush. If my child is seeking information, I generally answer them truthfully. If a child says, “Is Dad home?” This is a request for information. If Dad is not home, it is fine to say … Read More
Harness the Power of Time A stopwatch is an easy and cheap way to motivate kids and it can be a powerful weapon in your parenting arsenal. The idea is to motivate your child to beat the clock. The behavior is non-negotiable, but if they do it quickly they can get a prize. In order … Read More
Save Yelling For Emergencies Yelling can be defined as speaking with an increase in volume and emotional intensity. It is the easiest and most convenient way to get someone’s attention from far away. It is an effective way to warn someone of impending disaster. If we only yell to get our children’s attention or to … Read More
As a therapist, I learned that the family is a system. What affects one member, affects all members. To put it simply, “What goes around, comes around.” For this reason, it is important to try to inject happiness and humor into the system. When we choose to be loving and kind, we tend to start … Read More
Why Correction Is Necessary There are many ways to motivate and train children that do not involve formal correction. Using discipline is often unpleasant for parents and children. Because it is unpleasant, we tend to avoid or procrastinate correcting poor behavior. We make excuses for our child (or ourselves) and hope that the bad behavior … Read More
Deciding to focus on a child’s good behaviors is the first step in positive parenting. The second step is developing a language of positivity. Encouraging adjectives will become an important part of your vocabulary. However, the most important word will not be an adjective, the key word is actually “and.” Why “And” Matters The purpose … Read More
While we may start out thinking our spouse is perfect, the reality of day to day life quickly makes the love goggles fall off. As we build a life together we can become hyper-focused on our partner’s weaknesses and the ways in which our marriage is struggling. The important thing is to realize that no … Read More
All parents struggle with getting children to follow instructions. My own children can be particularly skilled at sporadic, voluntary, deafness. When children are ignoring you, it sometimes appears that they just did not hear what was said. As a first step to mutual understanding, begin by repeating the instructions in a pleasant (but louder) tone … Read More
When we are romantically involved with someone, there is a tendency to think a lot about the person and very little about the relationship. When we are intimate, we become one with our partner. As we blend our lives together, we begin to see ourselves as a unit. For this reason their good looks, reflect … Read More