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7 Highly Ineffective Ways to Parent
Bad Tip #1: Make sure to point out every mistake that your child makes. After all, they have lived this long. They should have it all figured out by now. The last thing they need is positive feedback that might go to their head. Bad Tip # 2: Make sure to tell your child that… Read More
Breaking the Mold
Helping Kids Cultivate Their Interests All parents have hopes and dreams for our kids. Some would love nothing more than to have kids follow in their footsteps, take over the family business, be successful in what interests them personally. I have heard dads who hold their newborns and say he or she is going to… Read More
Hey, Look at Me!
Dealing with Attention-Seeking Kids Do your kids get on your nerves with all of their attention-seeking behavior? Yep, mine do too. Bear with me on this post because I want to be direct in addressing this issue. I have worked with children and adolescents for over a decade, and I have heard many parents, teachers,… Read More
Balancing Relationship with Discipline
As parents, we are first leaders, trainers, advice givers, and boundary enforcers. However, I also want to focus on the profound impact that our relationship, not just our leadership, can have on our children. Authority: We have the incredible responsibility to teach our kids what we believe they will need to know as they grow… Read More
Clarifying Motivation
Disclaimer: This post may be triggering if you have been hurt emotionally by your partner. Getting hurt emotionally by a partner creates distance in intimacy. If you have been in a committed relationship with a partner for long at all, I bet that at some point you have gotten hurt. Please hang with me on… Read More
Parenting Parents
How many of you would say that your own parenting style perfectly mimics that of your parents? My parents and I have similar family values, but my wife and I approach training our kids differently than what I grew up with. My wife and I are teaching a parenting class at church and the discussion… Read More
Teaching Empathy through Action
How Did Your Family Do It? Can you think back to your own childhood and adolescence? Were there some positive experiences that you had that were instrumental in shaping who you are as an adult? Did these things impact the professions you chose or the way you raise your kids? As early as I can… Read More
Punishment vs. Discipline
I sat down to write this blog post when I heard a familiar screaming from my boys’ room, “Ahhh, Why would you do that?!?” I knew that we would again have an opportunity to use punishment, discipline, or both. Punishment and Discipline are not synonymous. While punishment can go hand-in-hand with discipline, they have different… Read More
Watering Your Child Causes Them to Grow
A Guide to Parenting Styles in 2021 Parenting approaches are changing. Children of parents who balance warmth and discipline well tend to be more emotionally stable as adults. I want to outline the 4 parenting styles that are predominant in popular psychology and offer some insight into how my wife and I modify this to… Read More
Strengthening Family Connections in 2021
I hope this post finds you well. We had a nice Christmas with my parents and brother, even with having to wear masks the whole time. Now we are getting ready for New Year’s at the Maisen house. 2020 brought a lot of challenges with it. However, one positive thing it did for us was… Read More
Making the Most of a COVID Christmas
Christmas 2020 is certainly going to look different than we are used to. The sad truth is that many families with not have the opportunity to gather with extended families and friends. So, what are we going to do about it? Unfortunately, we cannot change the CDC recommendations or the COVID numbers. However, I wonder… Read More
Intimacy in Vulnerability
How do you define vulnerability? What connotation does this word carry for you? You may be interested to know that the word vulnerability finds its origin in Latin. Vulneratus means to be wounded. For some this is a very scary concept. However, true intimacy cannot be found without true vulnerability. Disclaimer: This post may open… Read More