Will college be a repetition of high school?Most gifted teens look to college as an escape from the boredom of high school. And finding one that of social fit, geographic proximity to home, and extra-curricular needs, to name a few, is critical to ensuring a student's comfort and well-being. But the strength of the school's academic climate is equally...
Love Courageously Challenge Results - Day 28
For the past 27 days, we've talked about what courageous love is and how to give it even through difficult circumstances.Now that we are at the end of our challenge, think on the following questions and record your answers in your journals.What did loving courageously do for you and your family this month?Did you notice that loving courageously caused...
Loving Courageously Through Sensory Challenges (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 27)
I'm honored to welcome Dayna to my website today to talk about loving courageously through sensory challenges. Dayna is the author at and owner of .***************************************************************************When you become a parent, you see images of happy families everywhere. You see mothers hugging their children and...
Loving Courageously Through Back Talk (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 26)
Today, I am pleased to welcome Ariadne Brill of to my blog. Ariadne is speaking to us about loving courageously through back talk.******************************************************************************For many parents, "back talk" can be a big...
March Mission: Provide Clean Water
Each month, Positive Parents will feature a charity. If you want to be part of the helpers, donate or share the posts each month. Together, we can make a difference.There are always scary things in the news, but we can be the helpers. Due to a nasty winter storm, I've been without water for 3 days. It's annoying to not be able to wash clothes...
Loving Courageously Through Depression (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 25)
I'm so happy to have Andy Smithson from today as my guest. He's written a beautiful article for our 'love courageously' series. *************************************************************When experiencing the abyss of depression, people rarely feel “courageous” and yet, courage is likely your most defining characteristic. When I meet with parents...
Loving Courageously Through Stress (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 24)
Stress can uproot us - make us act in ways that we don't like to act, feel things we don't want to feel. But we don't just have to accept that today's world is a stressful, busy place and we just need to adapt! We can own our lives, our attitudes, our actions in a mature and responsible way so that our children learn to do the same. Yeah, parenting...
Loving Courageously Through Bad Moods (Yours!) (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 23)
Not getting enough sleep is almost sure to cause me a bad mood. Yesterday, we talked about loving courageously through our kids' bad attitudes and bad moods, but let's face it, we're human, too. Sometimes we just don't feel like showing up today. Sometimes we feel like sulking.But we know those moods don't serve anyone in our homes. We know we need...
Loving Courageously Through Bad Attitudes (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 22)
A quote from :So often, children are punished for being human. Children are not allowed to have grumpy moods or bad days. We expect them to be in complete control of their emotional reactions at all times, yet how many of us can do this? Have you never yelled or slammed a door in anger? Have you never snapped at your child or spouse after a stressful...
Loving Courageously When There's Danger (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 21)
1. Toddlers are biologically programmed to PLAY and to EXPLORE. Both are crucial in toddlerhood. Don't squelch your little one's curiosity, but instead provide a safe place for her to explore and begin teaching her what is off-limits through language, play, and empathetic limit-setting.2. Don't mistake independence for defiance. Some toddlers are more...
Loving Courageously Through Lying (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 20)
Lying is a normal part of development, yet we have so many fears and worries that our children will turn into compulsive liars if we don't come down hard and heavy on the first lie that escapes their lips. However, punishment, or the threat of punishment, only makes kids better and more frequent liars. I wrote for Creative Child Magazine about young...
Is shame holding back your musically talented child?
Why would musically talented children refuse to develop their potential?Everyone loves music. Right? So you might think that musically talented children would embrace their abilities and immerse themselves in music study. You also might assume that these children would feel welcomed, appreciated and accepted. This may be true when that talent aligns...
Loving Courageously Through Dawdling (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 19)
You need to be out the door in 5 minutes, and your child is still in his underwear.Bedtime was 15 minutes ago, and someone still hasn't brushed her teeth or got her PJs on.Dawdling is frustrating. Kids don't move at the crazed and rushed adult pace that we've grown accustomed to. Young children also don't understand the concept of time and what "15...
Loving Courageously When They Don't Listen (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 18)
Not listening is one of the .Head on over to and .To love courageously when your child doesn't listen:1. Use a firm and respectful tone at a conversational distance. Barking commands from across the room, or across the house, is much less effective than walking over, getting their attention by engaging eye contact, and then speaking. 2....
Courageous Love is Not Self-Seeking (Love Courageously Challenge Day 17)
The Bible gives us a beautiful description of love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Love is patient,sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28670A" data-link="(A)"> love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.sup class="crossreference" data-cr="#cen-NIV-28670B" data-link="(B)"> It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,sup...
Loving Courageously Through Mealtime Battles (Love Courageously Challenge - Day 16)
Mealtimes can be challenging with young children. From having a picky eater to a food thrower, the constant struggles can turn what is supposed to be a pleasant time into a struggle for power.If you have a picky eater, you will probably find rather interesting. is also a helpful article from Positive Parenting Connection.In regard to food throwers,...