I’m not that great of a parent. But sometimes my bad parenting actually works out. Some of my parenting fails are actually kind of wins! I made a list of things I do wrong as a parent that actually make my sons happy so who cares … besides me, 10 years from now, when my instant gratification policy has turned them both into monsters. My Nine Best Parenting Fails Co-sleeping – Sometimes it’s by choice, sometimes it’s because I can’t be bothered to bring him back to his room. But my 5-year-old loves it, and assuming that he grows out of it before he’s say, fifteen, I’m not too … [Read more...]
Tough Love Can Look Like No Love if You are Not Judicious
"James, you’re not helping him by being tough, you’re being mean." It took a while to let that sink in as I looked at my wife in disbelief. I couldn’t believe that what I thought was showing my oldest son, tough love, was actually looking like and feeling like I had no love for him. My dad was huge on tough love and it helped push me to do things I might have never tried. Now as a dad myself, I also use tough love on my kids. However, this one time I had to agree with my wife. I wasn’t showing my son tough love, I was being a dick. I was killing his pride instead of helping him … [Read more...]
Educated Children Learn to Manage Their Responses, Rather Than Beat the System
“Dad, they shouldn’t give us so much homework to do during summer. It’s not fair and it’s not right.” I nod my head in agreement with my son, and tell him part of me agrees with him, but it doesn’t matter because this isn’t a debate. His homework is his responsibility. It’s part of the joy of going into 8th grade and getting ready for high school. High school. It doesn’t seem possible that my son is almost old enough to be in high school. It is hard to fathom how fast time has gone, but it’s growing easier to imagine a time when he will not be a little boy any more. Truth is that … [Read more...]
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 8
- Next Page »