Do We Teach Our Kids How to Make Good Decisions?

One of the many things that we try to teach our children is how to make good decisions.  Sometimes the problem can be that we may not always make good decisions ourselves or we may allow emotions to influence our choices.  I found this to be true in a recent argument I had with my older son and a latter discussion about an important choice he wanted to make.

The argument was about his last-minute decision to back out of his promise to come skiing with me over Winter Break, preferring instead to stay home with his friends (and girlfriend). I got angry as he made this decision days before we were supposed to leave, thus leaving me high and dry with little time to find a friend to come in his place.  My wife and other son were already scheduled to go on a very special trip to Japan and Hong Kong.

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Friends, Dads, and Quality Time from Australia by Bruce Sallan and Darren Lewis

One of the wonders of the Internet and my writing has been the reach it’s had globally.  Not long ago, I received an email that began with “G’Day” from a man named Darren who had come across one of my columns.  He wrote a wonderfully complimentary note and also told me about his fathering website and business.  Clearly, though we live literally on opposite sides of the globe, our values united us instantly.

I asked him to send me something that expressed his views and what his site offers which is centered on adventures with fathers and their children, boys or girls.  He also included some very relevant data that I totally agree with and that also makes me sad to read.  How so many parents can spend so little time with their offspring is a mystery to me.  The lasting damage is incalculable.  I’m often struck by the clearly documented fact that human beings tend to recreate behavior they’ve learned whether it’s good or bad.  That’s why abused children often become abusing parents.  It defies logic, to me, but the evidence is overwhelming.  read more