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What Value Do You Put On Family?

How much time do you spend with your family? Is it more than three minutes a day, one to one? Karen Kingsbury in the after word of her novel ‘Family’ which is part of the Firstborn series, claims ‘national statistics say that most parents spend only three minutes each day having one-on-one time with their kids.’ As I read that sentence I found it hard to believe, perhaps because family has always been important to me. My husband and I made the decision early in our marriage that we would rather have a less spacious house in a less affluent … Continue reading →

Family Values Statements

As parents, we try to teach our kids values on a daily basis. One way to do this is by example. Many families take it a step further and actually create a written family values statement. Similar to a company’s mission statement, your family values statement is a written set of beliefs and behavior guidelines that everyone in your family agrees to live by. To write your family values statement everyone will need to be involved in the process. A good time to work on it is during family meetings, if you have them. If not, you will have to … Continue reading →

Time to Review Your Homeowners Insurance Policy

Did you get something big and expensive this Christmas? That new item is probably not specifically covered by your Homeowners insurance policy. Start off the new year by visiting with your insurance agent, and making sure that all the goodies that Santa brought you are covered. A good time to sit down with your insurance agent to review your homeowners policy is right now. Christmas is over, and you will want to make sure that the new, expensive, items that Santa brought you and your family will be covered by your policy. This is especially true if you got new … Continue reading →

Teaching the Youth the Importance of Education

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We are taught that while we can’t take any of our earthly possessions with us when we die, we can take our intelligence and our understanding with us as we progress past the veil. This knowledge has always inspired me to get a good education and to seek learning throughout my life. We recently watched the education segment of the church’s “Brand New Year” DVD with our youth, and I loved many of the aspects of the video. We watched and then talked about education, and I was really impressed with the way the video taught the youth about the … Continue reading →

Obtaining Guardianship for My Autistic Son

Now that my son Kyle is sixteen, his IEP meetings are rather routine. While I talk with his teacher and therapists, Kyle roves about the room, smiling, and making occasional comments. At his most recent meeting we discussed his progress—how he’s been improving his eye contact and social behaviors, how he loves to cook, and how he can balance a simple checkbook. We excitedly congratulated him on his first public speech—which he gave in his communications class in front of typical students. Before his speech day, we had written the text of the speech together, and he was able to … Continue reading →

McCain Talks About the Economy

Yesterday I shared some thoughts on Gramm’s statements that we are a nation of whiners. Both candidates were quick to back away from his statements and quick to paint themselves as empathetic towards our economic plight. Frankly, the candidate who addresses the American people with plan to help people spend within their means (in addition to some short and long term plans), gets my vote. Unfortunately, that doesn’t describe McCain or Obama. McCain was quick to distance himself from Gramm’s comments saying that he “strongly disagrees” with Gramm’s remarks. He apparently has a plan. Plan at the Pump Some distinctive … Continue reading →

We Can Choose What we Believe

One of the statements my children used to make that bothered me to know end was “I couldn’t help it!” The implication being that they just had no control over what they did or said and that they were victims of whatever actions or statements came out of their mouths. I think this was such a trigger for me because I have met plenty of adults who still refuse to take responsibility for their own choices and beliefs and who think that they are unable to control things. As a parent, I wanted to teach my children that while plenty … Continue reading →

Separate Opinions from Fact

Some people can be so convincing—there are those experts and strong-minded personalities who can state their own opinions and belief statements as though they are absolute fact. It can be confusing when you are trying to figure out what to do or are looking for solid, useful advice. It is important, however, to be able to discern what is a true fact (the earth revolves around the sun) from an opinion (all children should be toilet-trained by the age of 2). As single parents, many of us already need some good mentors and role models to help us see “how … Continue reading →

The Fruit of Our Parenting Labor

Do you sometimes wonder if your kids are learning the life lessons you are trying to teach them? If you believe what some experts say, you won’t see the fruit of your labor for years to come. While that might be true in some respects, in many ways if you continuously set a good example your kids will imitate you. One complement I get often is that Tyler is well-mannered. His behavior is a case of learning by example. For instance, I always say “Thank you,” to anyone who does anything for me. As a result he does the same … Continue reading →

4 Ways to Encourage Your Children to Save

Saving should be an integral part of what you teach your children about money. It goes along with the importance of teaching your children to give. It may seem silly to teach your three-year-old to begin saving money, but if you teach her when she is young, the habit will go with her. Here are four different ways to teach your children to save. 1) When your children are young, have them save money towards a specific goal. It might be fun to do this in a big glass jar. You could save for something as a family. When they … Continue reading →