Have you ever heard it said that children don’t come with any instructions? Don’t you wish they did? Wouldn’t it make being a parent just a tiny bit easier? I had the privilege of reading the soon to be released book, Dad Rules—A Simple Manual for A Complex Job. This book has amazing wisdom. The author, Treion Muller, writes what Dads should know, what Dads should say and what...
Have you ever had a meeting with someone that was going well? You were having a good conversation and the ideas were flying. All of a sudden your friend’s cell phone rings. That’s not the problem. All of us are guilty of forgetting to turn off our cell phones. What is the problem is that she doesn’t ignore it or silence it. Instead, she answers it. How does that make...
Do you remember what life was like BC— Before Cell phones? You now are accessible to everyone 24/7. Many people don’t ever turn their electronic media off to be alone or to be only with family. It’s clear that the majority of teens and young adults never take a break. Blue Ridge Wireless, a cell phone repair company in Tucson, Arizona, made the following post on its Facebook fan...
Does your home have a lot of chaos? I’m not referring to the normal flurry of family activities, but to the confusion that often surrounds a home where the parents share custody of the children. Sometimes, with joint custody, the children’s home life doesn’t feel stable or secure. My parents were divorced and I remember never knowing what to expect as a child. Stability was not the...
Do you bring work home? Do you have many extra activities that take you away from home at night? Are you over committed? Do you ever hear a small, sweet voice say to you, “Mommy, are you going out again?” Do you ever overhear a mature voice on the phone to her mother say, “Yes Mom, Fred’s going to another ball game tonight.” We live busy lives and we love it. However,...
Dinnertime isn’t like real estate. It’s not location, location, location. Dinnertime is an attitude. It’s bringing your family together with time and your undivided attention. It’s making each member of your family feel important. Dinnertime as an event can happen anywhere—the table, in a restaurant, at the park, in your car. My favorite memory of my mother that...
My parents got divorced when I was very young so my house was often in chaos when I was growing up. Even though my mother had eight children, we didn’t have a kitchen or dining room table. We always ate on TV trays in front of the TV. There wasn’t any routine for dinner. I used to love to visit my grandmother. She had a tiny two-room apartment in New Your City. My grandmother...
You’re crazy busy and after a long day you’re too exhausted to cook. When you get home there’s another long list of things to do and places to go. Restaurants and fast foods solve the problem of what’s for dinner, but that food is taking a toll on your health and pocketbook. Instead of dreading dinner, you can use it as a tool to enrich your life. Over dinner, you can connect,...
You have a circle of influence. Your circle of influence sits at your dinner table. Your influence is the most powerful when you give your circle time and attention. Dinnertime is a perfect opportunity to do that. Making dinnertime a family event has nothing to do with what you are eating or where you are eating it. It has everything to do with gathering your family together and giving them...
I have a friend that conducts seminars for corporate executives and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. He had a conversation with a CEO about how the CEO made the final decision on whom to hire from the final three candidates for one position. This CEO took each candidate out to lunch—individually. He wanted to see how the candidates handled themselves at the table. What were their table...
