Our friend Damon stopped by this afternoon. He told us it’s his wedding anniversary today but money is tight and life is a little tough at his house these days so he wasn’t planning anything special. He cares for his wife and wanted to do something nice but I suspect they are in a “rut”. He really wasn’t feeling any energy and didn’t want to spend much money. Basically, I think he just wanted to do enough to have sex tonight. (read more…)

Popularity: 28%

We stopped for a drink last night at our favorite local hangout, www.thebeardedfrog.com . Our friend and bartender extraordinaire, Jeff, greeted us and commented on our glowing skin and relaxed demeanor. We told him we had just gotten back from a quick getaway to Florida. He asked if we had brought the kids. An emphatic, “Hell, no!” was our response, to which he raised his hand for a high five. He gets it. He is the father of three kids under the age of five. Ours are teenagers and no less delightful to leave behind.

Okay, who’s thinking right now what a selfish, irresponsible parent I am? (read more…)

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Had a call from a friend/client this morning who said she was in trouble. I will change the names to protect the guilty. “Trouble” to Michelle meant she had accumulated a rather large balance on her credit card. Worse, she told her husband Saul she had been paying it down when in fact she hadn’t made a payment in months. A statement came in the mail and he, not being the trusting sort since she is not a year out of rehab, opened it. (read more…)

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Love letters to our kids. We should all write one now and again. Especially if you are a parent who doesn’t easily convey your feelings to your child. And even if you are one who does.

I know there are times when your kid(s) really impress you. Maybe they showed compassion for others or worked really hard on something, or had a brilliant idea. Doesn’t matter what it is. Maybe they handled a transition of some sort with ease or acceptance or grit. Think about your child. What really great and unique qualities do they have that make them special? What are their strengths? What traits do they have that you admire? I know you love them, but what do you LIKE about them as little people? What is really cool about your son or daughter?

Tell them. Write them a love letter. Make sure you’re in love when you do it. It’s got to be sincere. (read more…)

Popularity: 24%

Have you ever been hurt, disappointed or let-down in some way by a someone you care about? Okay, dumb question, we all have been at some point in our lives. It happens all the time. One of the things that’s really bugging me lately is people thinking, “I didn’t mean to” is a valid defense.

Somehow, many people believe that if they didn’t intentionally set out to hurt another person, then they did nothing wrong. I disagree. Ever heard the word “negligence“? (read more…)

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Most people try to teach kids to say they’re sorry when it’s appropriate. Little Johnny steals Connor’s toy and won’t give it back. We patiently explain to Johnny that it is wrong to take things that don’t belong to us. We tell him he should apologize. Half the time I think kids say they are sorry just because they’ve been told to not because they understand that what they did was wrong and definitely not because they feel remorse. So how can you get kids to understand what an apology is really all about and how to deliver one appropriately?

Apologize to them. Have you? Do you? (read more…)

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How good are you at saying no? I am pretty surprised at the number of people who struggle with this. Whether it’s yet another project at work or a friend in need, people just seem to have a hard time saying no. And if you can’t say no to that stuff, even when you really WANT to, my guess is you might be having trouble saying no to your children.

Saying no is one of the most important things to master when your kids are small. Yes, they will probably scream and cry their little hearts out when you tell them no and you will feel horrible about it but you must not cave.  (read more…)

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