As y’all know, I’m on a “Positive Discipline” kick lately. (Dig in, my poppies, I don’t see this one ending anytime soon.) I don’t want to rehash the book, but there are some concepts that have struck me like a 2×4 right in the face. Except way less painful. And no ugly bruising or broken [...]

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We’ve been very busy doing nothing the past few days. Well, sort of. I’ve been reading and re-reading “Positive Discipline” by Jane Nelsen, Ed.D and wondering why this isn’t required reading for anyone majoring in education or working in the field of education. I really believe it’s a must-read for parents, too. Every time I [...]

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When Matt was very young, I was a spanker. I didn’t see anything wrong with spanking. After all, I’d been spanked as a kid, and I turned out okay, right? Except I wasn’t just spanking my son — I was releasing my anger and frustration with his behavior, too. There was one night that I [...]

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First, I’d like to brag about Matt. I think I’ve talked before about my stress with this kid. Nothing we were doing was working to get it through his head that school was important. He just had no interest. We tried everything we could think of to get this kid to take school seriously. (Now [...]

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…or whatever You need me to call You to get a prayer (or 23945734) answered,
I realize that You are one busy Camper. What with billions of people on the planet praying for world peace, an end to hunger, and winning Lotto numbers, You have a lot on Your plate. I know my requests are going [...]

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Everyone has ideas about things they will and will not tolerate from their children. (Yes, even people who haven’t had kids yet.) Some things are pretty basic and across-the-board. Other things, not so much. And it’s these other things where discussions can get heated and even a little ugly, even among friends.
As an example, I [...]

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Now let me preface all of this with complete disclosure: there are two people in our home who actually like mornings, Matt and Tricia. Bill doesn’t really loathe mornings, but he’s not a huge fan. Lenna and I think mornings suck harder than my spiffy Dyson. Lenna and I believe that everyone’s day should start [...]

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I understand that you are a growing baby with many, many needs. Your mommy is more than willing to fulfill those needs and some most of your wants, too. However, can we discuss this new issue you seem to have with sleeping through the night? Again, I realize that you’re a growing baby and that [...]

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I like to think of these posts as a sort of nitty-gritty, down & dirty, this-is-what-real-kids-do version of the “What to Expect When You’re…”series. First, there was my Fat Chick’s Guide to Pregnancy. Then came a guide to newborns. I tried to write a guide to raising teenagers, but that failed miserably as my only [...]

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Dr. Phil Dedicating Show to Britney - Britney Spears, Phil McGraw : People.com
In December, after the announcement of 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears’s pregnancy, he told PEOPLE that “an asset that Britney and Jamie Lynn both have is a great and dedicated mother,” Lynne Spears.
Wait…what? How in the hell is this woman a “great mother”? [...]

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