Tag Archives: influence

Allowing Kids to Change the Way Things are Done

We all know how this goes—we are the parents and we know what is right and good and our children need us to guide and teach them. Sometimes, however, our kids have some ideas of their own. Sometimes, they even have some pretty darn good ideas about how to make things better or change the way things are done. This is when we parents have to set our pride aside and allow our kids to have influence—it is good for both of us! There is a difference between letting a very young child run roughshod over the family and permitting … Continue reading →

It can be a GOOD Thing we can’t Change our Kids

I can get as frustrated as the next parent that my children will not just settle down and do what I want them to. After all, I just KNOW that I often know what is best for them and I am convinced that if they would just listen to me and change—they would be happier individuals. I could save them so much pain and suffering. Of course, I imagine that my own mother probably felt the same way and parents have been trying to steer and change their children forever. There must be a reason that we really cannot change … Continue reading →

Can we Make Our Children be More Rational?

I admit that I have been accused of being overly rational; of course, I also know that I can be as moody and irrational as the next person, but overall rationality tends to be my guide. As a parent, however, I have learned that there is little sense in my clinging to rationality or expecting my children to be rational. I used to think that if I just exposed them to a more rational way of looking at things they would see things my way. Instead, I learned to enter the land of irrationality more often… I think that we … Continue reading →

Marriage in the News: The Alien Marriage Proposal?

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The AP reported a story a few hours ago about a series of calls that brought the Bavarian police out to investigate unidentified flying objects. Apparently late into Wednesday evening, local German time, there were unusual lights drifting across the sky of Plattling. Several worried people made phone calls to the local police department because they were so unusual. A patrol was sent to investigate and what did they find? A UFO? Nope. Aircraft of some kind? Nope. The police report issued on Thursday stated that the patrol encountered a 29 year old man and his 27 year old girlfriend. … Continue reading →

Marriage Breakers – Part 2

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Friday we talked about marriage breakers, things you need to talk to your potential spouse about before you say yes or before you ask the question. We covered areas like kids, finances and housework. Today we’re going to look at a few more items that can make or break a marriage. The In-Laws I am very fortunate in that I like my in-laws, all of them. My mother-in-law is not a monster-in-law and we’re actually really good friends. My sister-in-law is more like a sister than anything else and we’ve had our ups and downs, but it’s never been a … Continue reading →

How Long Does it Take to Make a Habit?

Regardless of whether I want anyone else to know or not, I definitely have some habits I would let go of. Over the years, I have been amazed at how few days/times it can take for a habit to form—either good or bad. As a parent, it is not easy to know if a child’s new behavior is going to “stick” or not—is it just a passing phase? Or is it going to contribute to a habit that lasts a lifetime? How long does it take for something to become a habit and how can we make that work for … Continue reading →

Rings: What Matters More to You? Quality or Quantity?

I think it was Friday morning when I was watching either Today or the Early Show and the one or the other did a segment about rings. They started out by covering the 4 Cs (cut, carat, clarity, and cost) and then gave the results of an informal poll. Quantity For women, they said, it’s all about the cut. Not necessarily the shape, but the bigger the ring the better. Didn’t matter if it was flawed. If their guy could afford a honkin’ two-carat, that’s what they wanted. Even though for the same price they could still get a very … Continue reading →

Being Influenced by our Children

One of the realities of my single parent family is that I think I am closer and have a more “give and take” relationship with my kids than I did before I was a single parent. Perhaps some of it is just because my kids are all older and we’ve been through a lot, but I also think it is due to the fact that we are “in this together.” As single parents, it can be both a positive and challenging reality, but we can benefit from letting ourselves be influenced by our children. While I am definitely still the … Continue reading →

Why You Should Get Involved (And Where?)

We’ve talked about volunteering and networking here in the Home Business blog, but I think that many of us have a tendency to isolate and work away solo in our small, home businesses. We forget how important it can be to get involved in our communities or even know where we can go to get involved. The truth is, involvement can really benefit our business efforts, as well as give our lives more of a sense of balance. Whether you get involved on a neighborhood or community level, or on a larger scale with your city or region—involvement gives you … Continue reading →

Point Out Behaviors in Other Kids You LIKE

It seems that what we notice when we are out and about it things we don’t like or we don’t approve of. It is easy to take notice of a child who is misbehaving or someone who is rude in line at the grocery store. By pointing these out and giving attention to poor social behaviors, we might be hoping to show our kids how we hope they do NOT behave, but we might have more success by pointing out behaviors that we do approve of and that do seem appropriate… Not only is it just more positive to point … Continue reading →