Men are notorious for not expressing their feelings well.

A big reason for that is they were never taught how to do it as boys. No one tells them, “You’re gonna feel anger and grief, and here’s how you handle those emotions.” When boys get upset and shove their sister or backtalk their teacher, their behavior gets scolded, but no one teaches them how to harness their emotion and channel it in positive ways.

I once heard a professional football player say that he struggled to manage his emotions because he was expected to be aggressive in his job each day but then switch it off before he returned home each night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 4, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

At the end of a shopping trip to Walmart, author Karis Kimmel Murray stopped by the shoe aisle with her daughter, Riley, who decided that she’d been sitting patiently in the cart long enough.

Karis allowed Riley to walk beside her, but Riley didn’t just want out of the cart, she wanted out of the store. And Karis stood between her and that goal.

To express her displeasure, Riley walked from one end of the shoe aisle to the other with her arms outstretched, knocking off every box of shoes within reach.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting October 2, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Anger is like fire. Harness it for something good, and you’ll create a better life for yourself. Misuse or lose control of it, and it’ll burn everything to the ground. That’s a good reason for children to understand the difference between bad anger and good anger.

Bad anger doesn’t improve our lives. It makes things worse. It protests even though nothing harmful or significant is happening. It turns our pet peeves into conflict and stirs up trouble for no other reason than to get our way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting September 29, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The maternal instinct in women is soft and nurturing.

It’s also fierce.

The maternal instinct drives women to sacrifice everything for the sake of their families. I saw that kind of tenacity in my own mother. She took care of five children, worked two jobs, and strived to meet everybody’s needs the best she knew how. We didn’t have much in terms of material wealth, but her love for us was rich, and we were happy.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting September 28, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Today, Peter Mutabazi is an entrepreneur, an international advocate for children, and the founder of Now I Am Known, a corporation that supplies resources that encourage and affirm children.

Peter’s passion for advocacy began in a small village in Uganda on the border of Rwanda. His father was abusive, beat the family, and frequently told Peter that he regretted having him as a son. Peter didn’t even have a name until he was two years old!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting September 22, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Have you had “The Talk” with your child? You know, the one about sex?

If not, why not? Maybe you feel nervous because you don’t know what to say.

I don’t blame you. The talk I had with one of my boys didn’t go quite as well as I’d hoped. I planned a weekend-long father/son getaway where I did my best to explain sex and sexuality in a way he’d understand.

Driving home, I asked him, “Any questions?”

“No.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting August 30, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Dad, don’t let your teenage daughter fool you.

She needs you.

I know her attitude may not always reflect that, but it’s true. She’s caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty, hormones, and confusing messages that skew her sense of identity and self-worth. On top of that, her social world is topsy-turvy, and she’s growing, changing, and feeling awkward. With you. With everybody.

Along the way, you’ll be tempted to disengage from her and keep her at arm’s length.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting August 16, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura