Tag Archives: guidance

Tell Customers What to do Next

I realize that this title sounds pretty bossy and that is not really what I am advocating. What I want to talk about is how we need to guide and direct our customers and clients instead of assuming that they will realize when it is time to make a purchase or tell us when they need our products and services. Often, we need to be the ones to lead the conversations and interactions in order for them to realize what is expected. This can be a sensitive reality that requires some tact. After all, we do not want customers to … Continue reading →

Some Kids Need More Specific Guidance and Instruction

Some of us can pick up general ideas and others of us seem to be able to figure out what needs to be done or what is expected of us. As parents, we may have children like that or we may have children who need more direct instruction, minimal choices and specific guidance. If we can realize that everyone is different and adjust our parenting to be more specific, we may have better results! I am thinking of not only children, but also people I have worked with. There have been those with whom I found communicating a breeze and … Continue reading →

Preparing for General Conference

Conference is just a week away. I love the messages that we receive from conference. As a child my mother would only make us watch the Sunday morning session of conference, but as I grew older I began to listen to conference more each year. I remember my junior and senior years of high school were the years that I began to realize that the messages spoke directly to my life. I also began to realize that the spoke directly to everyone who listened. The wonderful thing about conference is that the messages are for us at this time. As … Continue reading →

What Are My Lessons for Today?

I truly believe that life lessons come to us from all directions, and they tend to happen whether we think we are ready for them or not–this includes lessons that come to us while we are working or technically “on the job.” As a matter of fact, I think that we often get lessons in our work life that reinforce or parallel some of the lessons that come to us in other areas of our lives. What is currently going on in your home business that is providing you an opportunity for lessons and learning and how can you make … Continue reading →

Instead of Just One Session of “The Talk,” Expect Several

It is hard for me to believe, but there are still plenty of parents who think that sex education is a one-time obligation. While they may have the best of intentions, they wonder when is the right time to have “the TALK” and be done with their parental obligations regarding this discomforting subject. Instead of one, all-encompassing “talk,” however, most experts recommend that parents be prepared for regular and repeated age-appropriate discussions and be open and available to answer questions as they pop up. Maybe instead of one big TALK, parents can think of how to lay an early foundation … Continue reading →

Why Not Make it a Game?

I know that there is a time and a place for fun and games–after all, isn’t that we try to teach our children? That sometimes it is important to be serious and other times it is okay to play around? But, maybe as parents, we are being far more serious than we really need to be? When it comes to motivating our children, distracting them, and changing behaviors, maybe making things into fun and games can make for a happier and more efficient family? Remember when your child was an infant and you used little games to distract him when … Continue reading →

Finding the Right Church – Part 2

Yesterday I started a blog about criteria for finding the right church -what it should be like. This is for us how it worked out in practice. When I left you yesterday, my husband and I had just walked into a church in an area where we thought we might possibly move to. It wasn’t the only area we were considering but one of several that we could afford. I found it daunting walking into a new church, where we knew no-one. But God provided. We were warmly welcomed by several people. We sat down. One of the first songs … Continue reading →

Short Leash? Or Too Much Rope?

Surely you have heard the old addage that if you give people (kids) enough rope, they will hang themselves with it? I think many of us parents use this advice to keep our children on a very short leash–but is the short leash really the right way to go? Could there be a happy medium between too much and too little? There are a few things that can happen if we try to keep our kids on incredibly short leashes: they can rebel and tug against the rope, causing all sorts of power struggles and resentment; they might also give … Continue reading →

Where to Go for Inspiration

I have written about how we can be advocates, role models and mentors for other single parents and single parent families; and how we can advocate for single parent families in general. But, many of us would love to have a mentor of our own—or at least have some place to go for encouragement and inspiration that we don’t have to conjure up ourselves. Most of the time, I can pretty much manage things myself, but occasionally, I really need a boost or a blast of inspiration from someone or something else. It has been well-documented that single parents can … Continue reading →

Sometimes Guidance Must be Subtle

Often it seems very clear to us as parents that we must step in and be direct and “take charge” when it comes to guiding and parenting our children. Especially when they are younger and we need to keep them safe and make sure lessons are very clear and concise. As our children get older, however, sometimes we need to take a much lighter hand. Our guidance and parenting often has to be much more subtle… I have found that learning how to guide my children from more of an advisory or facilitator’s role has been one of the hardest … Continue reading →