The Statue
by Dr. Gary Chapman  

"Ignore it and it will go away?"  Is that you're philosophy?  If so, your relationships will never be authentic.   

In healthy relationships, people must talk about the things that irritate them.  They must seek to negotiate solutions which will respect their differences.   

Put your head in the sand and your problems will get worse. Speak the truth in love and you can solve your problems.

Don't change the subject when your spouse brings up a topic that you think will start an argument.  Simply ask, "Do you want us to share our ideas and look for a solution?  If so, I'm willing to talk.  If we are simply going to argue, I don't have the energy to do that.  If we can respect each others' thoughts, I think we can find an answer."   

This is the way to build healthy relationships.

Article written by Dr. Gary Chapman.  Based on the book,  Now You're Speaking My Language  by Gary Chapman. Published by Broadman and Holman Publishers. For a complete listing of Dr. Chapman's books and resources, click here.     

Modern Parenting Myths
by Dr. Kevin Leman 

#5 "A Full Plate of Activities Is Good...Let Them Absorb All They Can"  

Many kids' activity schedules rival an Olympiad's training routine.  Some parents take perverse pride in this overcommitment because they're running the rat race themselves and wear their busyness like a medal.  Unfortunately, they end up pulling their kids along.

But Dr. Leman, you might say, you keep talking about overcommitment but you're not specific.  How much is too much?

You really want to know?  I recommend only one activity per child per term.  

When Lauren wanted to be in Brownies, that's what she did.  When she's in softball, that's her activity.

Too many parents have been duped into thinking that busy hands are happy hands.  Unscheduled free time together around your house opens relational opportunities you otherwise wouldn't have.   

Activities can be good in moderation, but time with family at home produces home-grown kids.

Content taken directly from Home Court Advantage by Dr. Kevin Leman, published by Tyndale House Publishing.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:12-14