Why Are Your Kids Texting Not Talking?
Have you ever tried to have a conversation with your child only to be quickly interrupted as they respond to a friend’s text? If so, you’re not alone. In the Merrill home, Susan and I have had more than a few conversations with our children where one of their friends butts in on our conversation […]
How to Discipline Well in Blended Families
Blending two families into one new family can be very rewarding for parents and stepparents, and very constructive for kids swept up in painful circumstances. But it is also fraught with challenges that can not only foster conflict and trust issues with kids, but also can hurt the blended family marriage as well. One of those issues is how to discipline stepkids
#059: How to Fight Conflict in Your Marriage (Podcast)
Let’s face it: All couples fight. Sometimes, we fight over little things—like over the TV remote or whose turn it is to take out the trash. Other times, we fight over big things—like how to parent well or how to spend our money wisely. But, whether it’s a small disagreement or a huge argument, it’s […]
Assertive Communication: How to Have Healthy Conversations with Your Spouse
Last month, I blogged about how to better communicate with and listen to a spouse that has a very different communication style. But there’s another aspect of communication that might make or break the health of a relationship between two people. Healthy communication exists best when spouses are both developing the skill of an assertive communication style. […]
What to Do When Your Kids Spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Parents, are you equipped to deal with a child who spells trouble? All kids get into trouble at some point—that’s a given. Here are some common ways a child spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E and what you should do. Throw tantrums: When kids throw tantrums, the gut instinct is to react. How often have you seen the child […]
#058: 8 Lies Your Teen Believes (Podcast)
While most parents are concerned with the lies their teenagers are telling, parents often forget to consider the lies their teens may be hearing. Each day when they leave for school, sports, or social outings, they are marching into a world that doesn’t always encourage the truth. Instead, this world is whispering lies to our […]
7 Ways to Start an Argument with Your Spouse
Too much peace and harmony in your marriage? Want to pick a fight? Love a good, heated argument with your spouse? If so, here are 7 ways to start an argument with your spouse.
How to Respond to Hurtful Words in Front of the Kids
Remember the adage from the classic Disney film, Bambi: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all?” It’s a great lesson to teach our children. But there are times in the midst of stress or grief or anger where we all mess up and say something harsh, even mean, towards our spouse. And when those adversarial interactions occur between divorced parents, sometimes the verbal damage gets worse.
#057: 5 Ways Parents Frustrate Their Teens (Podcast)
As parents, there are many times our teens frustrate us. However, we need to remember that they are struggling with their identity, acceptance, attention, control, and freedom. So the reverse is often true as well: Our teens get frustrated with us. So how can we, as parents, avoid being on our teenager’s list of frustrations and […]
