Index: Boundaries

In his book, “The Power of Positive Thinking,” Norman Vincent Peale shares a story of a pastor talking to a painter about worrying.“Howard, don’t you ever worry?” the pastor asked the painter.The painter laughed and said, “No, not on your life. I don’t believe in it.”The painter goes on to tell how he didn’t have time to worry and how… Read more »

As nice as it would be to have complete control over outcomes, it isn’t humanly possible. Cause and effect is a principle of life that we can usually rely upon, but sometimes there seems to be another will for our days and experiences that turns our plans upside down. Sometimes these unexpected turns can create a domino-effect of unfortunate events,… Read more »

Relationships require selfless service to survive. Although there are multiple reasons people site for their relationship dysfunctions, from infidelity to arguments, relationship problems usually all have two things in common: dishonesty and selfishness. According to The Institute For Family Studies, the leading causes of divorce are: infidelity, incompatibility, drinking or drug use, growing apart, a lack of commitment, and too… Read more »

“My husband works at a jail and just a few weeks ago a man we both know from school and church was brought in on sexual charges. His niece was supposedly the victim. Both of us were very surprised, as we wouldn’t have expected him of doing such a thing. Whether he is guilty or not, we will probably never… Read more »

Choosing kindness strengthens relationships, increases resilience and promotes emotional non-fragility, helps us solve problems, and is a choice that leads to happiness. Many parents tell me that they hope for their child to develop kindness. Indeed, kindness is a characteristic that develops. It’s a word that describes actions that display love or respect for others. Learning kindness is environmental, logical,… Read more »

Diplomacy is dying. MSN’s Feb 18, 2022 article called, “Is This The Year Of The Angry Parent? The GOP Hopes So,” talked about how parent anger about masks and social issues was helping the GOP and causing a problem. Yahoo News declared, “A parents’ revolt is currently sweeping the nation,” in their Feb 18, 2022 article titled, “Democrats’ Worst Nightmare… Read more »

Parents and school administrators have requested that I make a short, free curriculum that parents can use to help their children navigate some of the social issues children are often forced to encounter at young ages. This curriculum is basic but deep, and it’s a principle-based lesson plan to help parents prepare their children to be free-thinking, discerning, loving, and… Read more »

An exasperated woman, whose marriage was falling apart, said to me, “Nicholeen, my husband is obsessed by principles. He keeps telling me that I don’t understand principles and that I’m not living by principles. How do you define principles?”   This woman’s husband lived according to his own made-up rules, such as hiding things from the government, controlling his wife… Read more »

In this podcast, Nicholeen and Paije (and Clara!) discuss what to do to make bedtime a smooth success. Do your littles put up a fight about going to bed? Do your older children simply disregard bedtime altogether to do their own thing? Listen in for skills and insights to transform your messy bedtime! https://tsg-podcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/2022/02+February/TSGPodcast97-WhatToDoWhenTheyWontGoToBed-Feb7-2022.mp3… Read more »

In this podcast, Nicholeen and Paije discuss three ways to help children understand what it means to be responsible and how to do it. Do your children just not care about taking care of or picking up after themselves? Are you annoyed because they seem to not learn anything you teach them to do? Listen in for these important ways… Read more »

In this podcast, Nicholeen and Paije discuss social skills: how and where are they learned? What social skills should be avoided? What if you’re anti-social as the parent, but still want to teach your children good social skills? Listen in for great tips and inspiration! https://tsg-podcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/2021/12+December/TSGPodcast89-RaisingSocialChildrenInAnAntiSocialWorld.mp3… Read more »

In this podcast, Nicholeen and Paije discuss what should and shouldn’t happen in the dating world. Is “hanging out” bad? How should parents be involved in their children’s dating life? Listen in for some insight and ideas to be more connected with your children who are getting ready to date! https://tsg-podcasts.s3.amazonaws.com/2021/11+November/TSGPodcast85-DosAndDontsOfDating-Nov02-2021.mp3… Read more »