How To Handle Teenage Rebellion

Parenting is extremely hard work that requires lots of patience and unconditional love.  There is no stage of parenting that is more difficult that dealing with all the transitions during the teenage years.  Its important to understand its just as hard for them as it is for you.  Mark Merrill Read more…

Merging Leadership And Parenting

It grieves me when I see great leaders everyday leave their leadership gifts at work and not effectively lead the people at home who matter most.  If you max out your leadership gifts with your work team and not with your family shame on you.  This is a great post Read more…

Parenting Through Peer Pressure

There is no doubt that every generation faces its own unique set of issues that must be dealt with in a different way.  However, the core issue of how to respond to peer pressure has been a dominant right of passage for every generation.  This is where parents need to Read more…

How To Be Available For Your Teenagers

There may be no more difficult time for parenting than helping your teenagers transition to adulthood.  It really is more about our role as parents changing that theirs.  If your parenting is still mainly instruction and correction based you are headed for a crisis.  Mark Merrill has a helpful post: Read more…

How To Make A Memory

It has always amazed me as a parent when I ask my adult children about times when they were growing up they remember as being great.  Many times it was not the big trip or the awesome gift but it was the experience of doing something meaningful with them together. Read more…

Character In Kids: No App For That

I will admit that I am torn when I see my grandchildren spending lots of time with electronics.  There are incredible upsides to what is available today.  However the are major dangers as well, especially if it takes the place of intentional conversations that deal with real life issues.  Mark Read more…

How To Be An Out Of Control Parent

We all start out as parents providing protection, instruction and correction for our children.  The problem is sometimes we get stuck there and its time for them to go to college.  If we don’t transition our parenting style they will never be able to assume responsibility and become successful. Mark Read more…

6 Ways To Make Emotional Deposits

We are all familiar with the metaphor of making emotional deposits and taking withdrawals from another person both personally and professionally.  When you end up taking more than you give to another person you end up with a negative balance and believe me there are serious fees and late charges Read more…