Faith | Social Life | Widen The Circle
Where I Went When I Needed Parenting Help
If you’ve ever moved across the country with kids you are probably familiar with the word uprooted. Our daughter was going into kindergarten and our son into middle school when we moved from Texas to South Carolina and while it proved to be a great move for all... Read More
Birth - 5 years | Imagine The End | Social Life
How to Coach Friendship in the Preschool Years
Making friends and keeping them are important life skills. Just like learning to walk, talk, self-feed, and potty-train, there are steps that babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will master as they learn the skill of making and keeping friends. It takes a long time to learn these skills. I... Read More
Social Life | Widen The Circle
Why Your Kids Need Five Other Adults in Their Lives
I have something like 1,300 contacts in my phone. No doubt, 1,300 is a crazy number. You might have double that, or half that. It’s just the world we live in. But even if you only had 100, you wouldn’t really know each of them well. Not deeply. Not... Read More
Imagine The End | Make It Personal | Social Life
Shutting Down Gossip and Building Character
It was one of those major learning lessons in my parenting life. My wife Cathy and I were “speculating” at the kitchen table one day that one of our neighbors were probably getting a divorce. The husband hadn’t been around, and Cathy had heard from one of the... Read More
High School (9th-12th) | Imagine The End | Social Life
31 Things to Say to Help Teens Navigate Relationships
Helping teens learn to navigate relationships is one of the best gifts we can give. When we don’t give up, the rewards are 100% worth it. Read More
Current Events | Social Life | Widen The Circle
Raising Kids Who Embrace Those Who are Different
“Mommy, what’s wrong with that kid?” Your child just blurted out an earnest question. . . in front of someone who appears to have a disability or simply looks different, somehow. Yikes. As a mother to a child with autism, my son has often prompted such innocent expressions... Read More
Helping Kids Learn to Deal with Friends Who Are Mean
If there’s one parenting goal that I want to consistently crush, it’s to be relentlessly vigilant when it comes to my kids’ friendships. If you follow this blog, you know that we talk a lot about the importance of community and friendship – about widening the circle. We... Read More
Social Life | Widen The Circle
Inviting Grandparents In
I will just go ahead and say it, my grandkids are brilliant geniuses. First grader Maggie can read the word ‘pinkalicious’, four-year-old Mollie can smell chocolate a mile away and baby Mason can fill a diaper like nobody’s business. Okay, some might say brilliantly average but not me.... Read More
Character and Values | Imagine The End | Social Life
Teaching Your Kids Radical Respect
Today’s culture is bringing an unhealthy sexualization to our kids at a younger and younger age. We were 4, 6, 9, 12, and 15 at one point, but we were never their age. They experience so much so young. With the onset of early sexualization in our culture,... Read More
A Book Review: Siblings Without Rivalry
“Someday when you guys are older you will like each other and be best friends.” They’d been bickering. Again. But did I really just say that? How can I possibly know that? Is that just wishful thinking for my oldest son and my daughter who is two and... Read More