I’ve often been asked, “Which is more damaging to children? A parenting style that’s very authoritarian and rigid, or one that’s permissive and loose?” Actually, both these extremes leave their characteristic scars on children, and I really would be hardRead more…
Have Parents Stopped Using Common Sense?
Why have so many parents forgotten the common-sense approach to child rearing that has worked for generations? Why look for something new? Good question. People began losing confidence in the traditional approach to child rearing during the 1920s and 1930s.Read more…
Most Important Values to Teach Your Children
You make a convincing case that beauty and brains are false values that demoralize kids who don’t think they measure up. But what values do you suggest that I teach to my children? I believe the most valuable contribution aRead more…
Prepare Your Child for Independence
My sister’s daughter went off to college at eighteen and immediately went a little crazy. She had always been a good kid, but when she was on her own, she drank like a lush, was sexually promiscuous, and flunked threeRead more…
Hallway of Doors
Let’s talk today about lifelong addictions which often begin during the adolescence years. Imagine, if you will, a long dark hallway with a series of doors on either side. Written on each door is the name of an addiction, suchRead more…
Helping a Single Mom
Many years ago, my wife, Shirley, was working around the house one morning, when a knock came at the front door. When she opened it, there stood a young woman in her late teens, who called herself Sally.
Empty Nest
The empty nest is painful, but it gives you a great perspective on parenting. The days that you’ve been given to care for your children are much briefer than you think. When you stand where my wife and I areRead more…
The Millionaire
If you are fantasizing about winning the lottery and living on easy street for the rest of your life, it is probably a pipe dream. Even if you should be so lucky, your troubles would only just be beginning. IRead more…
Robin in a Rainstorm
You know, single parenting can be like a robin in a rainstorm. Sometimes the loneliness of single parenting can seem almost unbearable. There is a better day coming. Storms don’t last forever, and there will be a rainbow in theRead more…
6 Principles of Good Discipline
Dr. Dobson talks about the six basic steps to good child discipline. Listen in as he provides brief insight into each one.