I have had some conversations recently about how challenging it is to raise teenagers. Another layer to the challenge is when parents are raising teenagers in separate households. Co-parenting teenagers presents a completely different set of challenges than children of other ages. The Unapologetic Art of Effectively Co-Parenting Teenagers In this article: Present a … [Read more...]
So You Have a New Stepfamily, 4 Things You Should Not Expect Right Away
I have to be extremely honest. I didn't know what to expect when bringing together a blended family. Blending different factions (especially when there are so many differences between the family members) is no easy feat. As husband and wife, you are each raised differently; as well, you have raised your children differently. Expectations around things like homework and … [Read more...]
The Letter to My 10-Year-Old Daughter that Changed Our Relationship
A few months ago, I was at my wits’ end with my daughter who just happens to be a smidgen more stubborn than I am. We butt heads often because we’re so much alike. But I also understand that it has a great deal to do with the environment that our children are growing up in, which is so much different then the one many of us were raised in by our own parents. Disrespect? What … [Read more...]
After 19 Years with My Husband, I’m Still Saving Myself for Marriage
By Cassandra Paul This year my husband and I will be celebrating 19 years of marriage. Four daughters and a lifetime full of challenges later and we are more “in love” today than when we first said I do. In fact, I’m realizing back then, we were in love with the “idea” of love. Since then our union has been tested, tried, rocked and rolled. And now we both understand that … [Read more...]
Why Connecting with Your Child is More Important than Discipline
For those of us who were raised “old school”, we grew up knowing: Rule #1. Mom and Dad are always right. And even when they’re wrong—they're right. Rule #2. A butt whippin’ was standard operating procedure when you misbehaved. And don’t forget to pick your own stick off the tree in the front yard for that whippin’. And, Rule #3. When in doubt, reference Rule … [Read more...]
Principal Drags Students and Maintains a Job Within School System
Parents are outraged by the scenes within recently released surveillance videos that show a Connecticut elementary school principal, Carmen Perez-Dickson, dragging a child through the hall on three separate occasions. To add to their frustration, she wasn't fired. Nakeya Hargrove, the mother of the a young girl in one of the videos, didn't find out about the March 2012 … [Read more...]
Are Your Kids Collecting Expensive Souvenirs on Your Guilt Trips?
As parents, we want our children to have every opportunity in the world, including things we may not have had ourselves growing up. When I had my daughter 10 years ago, I knew there were certain emotions that came with being a mother: joy, worry, love, exasperation. What I didn't count on was the guilt that sometimes accompanies parenthood. The guilt of working too hard and not … [Read more...]
Mom Arrested and Loses Child After Supermarket Spanking
When a Brockton, Massachusetts mother decided to spank her 5-year old in front of patrons at a local supermarket, she had no idea what she was in for. Marie Lyssa Mars was shopping with her son at a Shaw’s supermarket last week when she began spanking her son while waiting in a checkout line. Reportedly, patrons asked her to stop, but she continued to spank him. After … [Read more...]
Should Parents Embarrass Kids Online as Discipline?
After a 13-year-old girl was caught lying about her age, and several other things about her identity, her parents posted this video in which they expose their daughter for who she actually is rather than the 16-year-old vixen she claims to be. In the video, they question their daughter about all of the lies she has been posting online, including lying about her age, sexual … [Read more...]
Teen Charged With Felony Because of Science Experiment
Sixteem year old Kiera Wilmot was known as an exceptional student at Bartow High School. Ron Pritchard, Kiera's principal, told WTSP, "She is a good kid. She has never been in trouble before. Ever." He went on to say, "She made a bad choice. Honestly, I don't think she meant to ever hurt anyone." And no one was hurt when Wilmot attempted a science experiment on the morning … [Read more...]
4 Ways Christian Parents Fail Their Children
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Many of the parents in my church growing up I’m sure believed they were doing exactly what this scripture teaches---laying a strong foundation of faith for their children. As I grew up, however, I witnessed many of my peers in church, and myself at times, fall privy to sex, … [Read more...]
The Lesson Jessica Bennett Just Learned About Raising a Black Son
There are few things in the world that could enrage me enough to want to openly slap another adult, but any violence toward my children will definitely get you "dealt" with. I can remember growing up, my mother always told us to make sure no adult EVER "put their hands on us" — that was her job. She made sure we behaved and with that promise, she'd do whatever it took to … [Read more...]
Bad Kids Don’t Necessarily Equal Bad Parents
Bad kids don't necessarily equal bad parents. And good kids don't necessarily equal good parents. Some parents try their best. They try to teach their kids respect, they have rules, and they have consequences for breaking the rules. And no matter how hard they try, the child doesn't "act right". Likewise, I know some very good adults and kids whose parents sucked! I … [Read more...]
My Husband Treats My Son Like a Step-child
For years now I've been feeling like my husband treats our son differently than he does the other kids, like a step-child. For all practical purposes, my son really is his step-son...my son is from a previous relationship and we now have two daughters together. I have, at times, criticized my husband for the way he speaks to my son. On numerous occasions, I've voiced that he … [Read more...]
Is It Okay to Discipline Someone Else’s Child?
What do you do when a child who isn't your own behaves badly? Do you discipline the child or do you confront the child's parent and let them deal with it? Some believe it is okay to take matters into their own hands while others think it's none of their business to intervene. Two experts weighed in on the issue in an article posted by the Today Show. Ian Kerner, therapist … [Read more...]