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Love Languages

We all feel love differently and our children are no exception. When we learn to speak our child’s love language we give them a sense of security and well-being, which is especially important in cases of divorce. Each of our children are different and may need love expressed differently to them. When I was growing up, my mother had two children whose love language was very strongly physical touch. They needed hugs and kisses and a pat on the back. Mine was quality time. I wanted to do things together, to spend time together, and to have her full attention. … Continue reading →

Speaking Your Wife’s Language

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You may be asking yourself, “What does speaking your wife’s language have to do with being a good father?” I remain convinced (for those who are married) that you have to be a good husband first before you can be a good father. Dr. Gary Chapman has written a book entitled, The Five Love Languages. In his book Dr. Chapman lists the five “languages” as 1. Words of Affirmation 2. Quality Time 3. Receiving Gifts 4. Acts of Service 5. Physical Touch I had the privilege of hearing one of Dr. Chapman’s messages at our church back in the 1990’s … Continue reading →

Speaking Your Child’s Language

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Kids have always had their own “lingo” for as long as I can remember. Whether they say, “cool”, “awesome”, or “sweet”, kids have always wanted to use certain words with their friends to show their independence from their parents and their own uniqueness. I used to be a substitute teacher and always found it funny whenever I would use words that the kids were using like “awesome”, or “radical”, the kids would smile and think it was “cool” that their teacher was using their language. There is another language that kids understand very well, that parents would do well to … Continue reading →

Chasing House Flies

On the surface I had a lovely afternoon yesterday. I returned from a good time volunteering with friends at a local museum and spent a productive afternoon finishing a lot of work. That’s just the surface story. In reality as the hours of the afternoon waned I was driven crazier and crazier, as a headache crept further and further into my skull. And it’s all my pets’ fault. Well, just Chihiro and Cole. What did they do that made me insane? They chased house flies. I don’t know how so many flies got into my house, but there must have … Continue reading →

Interesting Copywork

Copywork is a necessary component to the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling. It may not always be a hit with the students, but it teaches more than penmanship. Although penmanship is sometimes improved by copywork, a student will develop skills to enhance narration, composition and writing. So, can we squeeze any more learning out of copywork? I have managed to use copywork time for bible memorization, math rules, language rules, and language lessons. I find the beautiful thing about using a Charlotte Mason approach is that you can tailor it to fit your family. Charlotte Mason is an applied method … Continue reading →

Part 2 of Top Tips for Communicating Effectively

Today I am continuing the tips for communicating effectively which I started yesterday. 7. Pick the right time One I mentioned the other day was about picking the right time. Not when your spouse is doing something else. We did have that conversation when Mick raised it the next day so he had heard it, and he was his usual encouraging and supportive self. Although sometimes driving on the car can work if you’re not in traffic and needing to concentrate a lot. It often works well with children and teenagers too, so long as they’re not the ones driving. … Continue reading →

A Response to the NEA’s 2007-2008 Homeschooling Resolution

The NEA, for those of you who don’t know, is the National Education Association. And every year, they pass a set of resolutions as the ’experts’ in education. To be fair, this is one itsy bitsy tiny piece of their entire resolution. In short, they are against home schooling and always have been. They are so against home schooling in fact, that they’re willing to tout an article, written by a janitor, as good reasons not to home educate their child. But I digress. Below is this year’s resolution, and my response. B-75. Home Schooling The National Education Association believes … Continue reading →

Secret Family Signals

I’ve known a few families with secret signals or gestures that only meant something to their family. I think having family signals and codes is great fun, and a great way to foster family unity. I had a friend in high school whose family had a secret signal for needing to go the bathroom. They would raise their fist to their chin, their thumb touching their lips. This came in a lot handier than you might think. Picture being in the audience somewhere, instead of a child whispering, “I have to go to the bathroom” and someone else whispering back, … Continue reading →

8 Difficult Autistic Behaviors (And Why They Happen)

Children with autism have numerous challenging behaviors for parents to deal with. Sometimes the behaviors seem to make no sense whatsoever. The child might seem unreachable, temperamental, and impossible to deal with. However, when we take a look at the underlying deficits that contribute to the problems, we can gain a better understanding. And with a little understanding, we are better equipped to find ways to help. The following is a list of eight typical behaviors of an autistic child, and their likely causes. This is not an exhaustive list of all autism symptoms, and some autistic children will only … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Deal With a Power-Hungry Child

If a child misbehaves because he craves attention, but can’t get a satisfying result, he will often move to the mistaken goal of seeking power. In my previous blog I listed the four basic mistaken goals children have which lead to misbehavior: Seeking Attention. Seeking Power. Seeking Revenge. Seeking Emotional Isolation. The Child Who Craves Power Each of the above mistaken goals are the child’s misguided way of trying to belong. All children want to belong, to be accepted, to fit in, and to be loved. The child who wants power makes the erroneous assumption that if he defies adults … Continue reading →