Tag: rules

You need a reliable babysitter for date night. Should be easy peasy, right? The truth is that this relationship is a two-way street and sometimes parents, unknowingly, can make the job harder or less satisfying than it needs to be. We reached out to our babysitter network to find out what they love (and loathe) about minding our kids.

Be Ready

You made reservations and even put mascara on, but your date night checklist is not done. First, tell the kids how you expect them to behave for the sitter. When she arrives, act excited to set the tone.

Doors slamming. Eyes rolling. Extended middle fingers. One-word discussions. Outrageous demands for more money, newer cars and less chores. In a survey, over 90 percent of parents who answered the question, "What are your top three parenting issues," all responded with either lack or respect or bad attitude.

But what’s strange is these same kids have friends whose parents they do respect! In 12 years of interviewing kids and parents, I know that most teens have what I call a Kool-Aid house, a home where kids of all stripes congregate, not because there are no rules, but indeed because there are strict rules about language, drugs, alcohol and behavior.

There is nothing like a partnership to bring out the best and perhaps the worst in us. When we are called on to work with someone, this is when our true colors often become evident. Our tendency to be selfish, bossy, childish, big-hearted, or to display our savvy people skills often comes to the fore. Marriage is no different. It is a union that certainly tests our mettle in the area of compromise and there is perhaps no greater place where this is played out than the bedroom.

You’ve just walked in the door after a long day at work. The kitchen is a mess and the kids are arguing over who is responsible. As you set your briefcase on the counter, a flying apple misses your head—by inches. Then poof! The kids disappear—without so much as a hello (or goodbye!)—and you are left with a dirty, cluttered kitchen. Muttering under your breath, you are now cleaning up everyone’s mess feeling more like a doormat than a parent.

What is wrong with these children? Where do they get the idea they can throw things? Why don’t they have the decency to at least say hello when you walk in the door?

When you’re both at work all day, coming home to a pack of unruly kids is probably the last thing you want to do. Your problem isn’t going to get better until you make some changes, so we have 10 tips you can get started on today—no matter what your child’s age—that’ll help make your family time happier and your home the comfortable place you want it to be.

On your wedding day, you probably dreamed of sun-filled years of happiness, laughter and sheer delight. However, conflict in marriage happens, so when the metaphorical "boxing gloves" come on and you’re fighting with your spouse it's important to keep it clean.

Fighting fair is about respecting your spouse, even in moments of disagreement. Arguments are not justifications to be mean, say whatever you want or drudge up the past with your spouse. Fighting fair is about getting your point across, but doing it in a way that’s not hurtful. Here are four steps to help you fight fair and resolve conflict effectively: