Parents have “discipline” all wrong

I just finished reading How Do You Discipline a Child in the Post-Hitting Era? and am amazed that parents can still be so confused. The problem is that we use the word “discipline” when what we actually mean is “punish.” Discipline is a trait...

Apologies aren’t enough (from parents)

In my post, Apologizing — a skill of a masterful parent, I wrote about the importance of parents making apologies to their children. I emphasized that apologizing helped parents “cultivate a long-term, respect-based relationship with our children,” in...

Apologizing — a skill of a masterful parent

“Wait!” you cry. How can a “master parent” be someone who needs to apologize? Doesn’t being a “master” imply that mistakes aren’t made and moments of weakness are met with awesome self-control? If “mastery”...

Judging parents and kids

Recently I was in the gym locker room cleaning up after my Wednesday workout. A mother and her son were there also. The mom was speaking at her son in a critical way as if he himself was a problem for her. Her tone was harsh — think “barking” drill...