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happy families

Home BlogArchive by Category "happy families" (Page 8)

Eliminate Criticism and Minimize Mistakes

Andrea Ramsay Speers

communication, happy families, parenting, Pet Peeves, self esteem, teens, tweens

This is the title of a chapter in Rudolph Dreikurs’ classic parenting book Children: The Challenge. It can be a tough concept for a parent to really grasp, though, [...]

Conversation Basics

Andrea Ramsay Speers

anxiety, communication, friendship, happy families, parenting, Pet Peeves, self esteem, tweens

I think every parent wants to raise a polite child. Sometimes how that is defined varies from family to family, but overall, there are some things that we have as a culture [...]

“Fighting Fair”?

Andrea Ramsay Speers

communication, couples, happy families, marriage, mental health, nagging, Pet Peeves, stress

All couples disagree at some point. It’s not realistic to think that we’ll see eye-to-eye on everything over the course of a long marriage. Disagreeing isn’t the issue; how [...]

Interruption Disruption

Andrea Ramsay Speers

communication, entitlement, happy families, nagging, parenting, Pet Peeves, teens, tweens

I’m of the belief that one of the hardest parts of parenting is the constant interruptions. It could be interruptions while you’re talking, or just the idea that a parent’s [...]

Is It Wrong To Ask For Help?

Andrea Ramsay Speers

bullying, communication, couples, depression, happy families, health, keeping kids out of trouble, marriage, mental health, parenting, self esteem, stress, teens, tweens

We live in a culture that values independence. There’s a common belief that everyone can and should take care of themselves alone, pull themselves up by their bootstraps and [...]

A String on the Finger

Andrea Ramsay Speers

chores, communication, entitlement, happy families, nagging, parenting, Pet Peeves, school, teens, tweens

One of the things that never fails to set parents off is when kids are chronically forgetful. And it can be a long haul to get kids to accept the responsibility of [...]

“So, How Was School?”

Andrea Ramsay Speers

communication, happy families, keeping kids out of trouble, parenting, Pet Peeves, school, teens, tweens

Does that question make your kids clam up? Instead of asking a blanket question like this, try asking about a specific class, for example, or what they did during recess. [...]

How Much Privacy Should We Give Our Kids – Is Snooping Ever Ok?

Andrea Ramsay Speers

communication, happy families, keeping kids out of trouble, parenting, teens

Snooping on our kids – teens in particular – is a bit of a gray area for many parents. Some feel as the owners of the home and the heads of the household, they have a right [...]

Beating The Winter Blues

Andrea Ramsay Speers

depression, happy families, health, mental health, stress

Don’t let winter get you down. Many people find this time of year tough – the excitement of the holidays has passed, the bills have started to arrive, and the lack of sunlight [...]