It’s a few days after Christmas and the playplace is swarming with parents and children. I’ve been here a few times before and it has, in fact, never been so busy. The layout of the facility is thrilling for kids. Numerous “pretend” areas all have their own sections: a supermarket, a veterinary office, a fire station, a costume shop, a bakery, etc. The back is filled with an indoor playground, complete with pretend tree house and twisty slide. Toys and play equipment litter the space and the ce

1. Above All, She Wants Your Love This harkens back to a post I wrote a couple of months ago called “Love or Respect: Which Do You Prefer?” In this article I explained that men desire respect from their wives, and women desire love from their husbands. When a wife shows her husband less respect, he in turn shows her less love. And when a husband shows his wife less love, she in turn shows him less respect. And the vicious cycle repeats itself. Stop this prophecy before it becomes self-fulfilli

I am enjoying a day off from work. I just finished an enjoyable six mile run and after submitting this blog, will try to read before my family starts returning home. Ever since my wife and I decided to adopt three foster children, I have had little time for my two favorite hobbies. Our daughters, ages ten and twelve, have been in our home for almost fifteen months and our fifteen year old son for almost six. I spent a little time this morning asking myself, “what if”. What if we decided n

Interesting NPR story on the slow demise of manners, about how "please" and "thank you" are not in the vocabularies of many Americans today.

I think the article missed one important thing: that we're becoming a nation of selfish individuals. Yes, that's a generalization. But for the most part, many of us do not hold doors open for those right behind us, we fail to say please or thank

During my adult life, I have observed various beliefs parents passed on to their children. I observed children who parrot their parents: political views, racial biases, expressions, favorite sports teams, religious affiliations, non verbal gestures, and other opinions. As a parent, I understand my children will be watching me and observe how I handle all of life’s stresses. They will see me at my best and worst. I wish I could say I will be the perfect husband and father. I wish my child

It can be hard to gain respect as a nanny. It's a job that can be done without a degree or training. I do not believe that it should be though. I deal with emotions every day: laughter, hunger, hurt, sad, happy, disappointment & stress among others. I'm shaping impressionable children into respectful human beings. It's a job that is very difficult to do if you don't keep the long term goals in mind.
When I meet you in this setting, I may not look responsible or deserving of your resp

As a fellow mother of young children, I listened to my friend Sarah’s story about her 2-year-old’s failed birthday party like I was hearing a horror story. I consider myself something of an authority on party planning, especially in the realm of children. Of course, my self-professed “guru” status has come from attending plenty of birthday disasters as well as hosting a few of my own. Here, I’ll relay a few of my friend’s slip-ups so you can avoid making the same mistakes.

Plan Aroun

Every parent faces a dilemma in raising adolescents. Originally written for teens, Jodi Picoult's novel helps learn a thing or two about parenting. It is a must-read!


NINETEEN MINUTES BY JODI PICOULT- detailed analysis of the book
In nineteen minutes you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, bake scones or fold laundry for a family of five. It’s the length of a sitcom minus the commercials. In 19 minutes you can get a pizza delivered. You can stop the world or jump of i

Pakistan educational system is getting worse by every passing time.The main problem of our schools is favouritism .The child who is favourite or liked by a teacher gets good grades but who are not liked by a teacher are getting poor grades .When exams are being held a child from his own personal eye see that the teacher are helping kids ,when he or she told this thing home or to teachers they said you are lie-in .Their is no value of a child hardwork.When i was in 8th grade i thought that when

One of my favorite...All time singing groups was Crosby, Stills and Nash...That would be David Crosby from the Byrds...Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield...And Graham Nash of the Hollies...

They played together one time before making their national debut at Woodstock in 1969...Known for their acoustic guitars...Exceptional lyrics...And mellow harmonies...Forty years later...Are still one of my favorite bands of all time...

And one of their songs...One of my favorite...C