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November 26 | Here's How You Can Be a Better Dad!👨‍👦

November 26, 2021

tips & tricks for growth

5 tips for raising good kids

Any parent headed home with their first child is probably a bit nervous about this whole parenthood thing. You really want to raise good kids, but unfortunately, each unique baby doesn’t come with its own manual.

Whether you shop local or go to Amazon for parenting help, hundreds of books offer different perspectives on the best way to raise good children. In spite of the many approaches, however, a group of Harvard psychologists found that it really boils down to some very basic strategies.

1. Spend time with your children.

2. Model the behavior you want to see.

3. Show your child how to care for others and set high ethical expectations.

4. Teach your child to be appreciative and grateful.

5. Teach them how to see beyond themselves.

The children in the Harvard study thought their own happiness and self-esteem was really important to their parents. Instead of being overly concerned that kids are always happy, you can emphasize how to be kind to others in their world, whether it’s the bus driver, the Walmart greeter or the referee at the sports event. Focusing on these things will help you raise children who are caring, kind, courageous and responsible.

6 ways to keep a conversation from getting derailed

Holidays are supposed to be a time of love and joy when you gather and celebrate family, friends, and traditions. Those celebrations can easily be derailed when you find yourself in an uncomfortable or controversial conversation. There’s no shortage of hot topics to navigate around if you want to have a peaceful gathering with friends and family. But try as you may, you just might find yourself discussing a divisive issue. You know you and a loved one aren’t on the same page about this topic, and you’re ok with that, but you don’t want a conversation to hurt the relationship.

So, how do you stop the conversation before it goes too far?

1. Shine a different light on what’s being said.

If the other person says, “I don’t want to fight about this,” you can reply with, “I don’t want to fight either. Let’s have a discussion.”

2. Rephrase what’s being said.

Instead of calling someone stubborn, call them persistent or determined.

3. Reflect on a positive past experience.

Relationships are full of positive and negative interactions. A present negative doesn’t have to tear down a mostly positive past.

4. Clarify what you heard by restating what the other person said.

We’re all guilty of speaking faster than our brain can work.

5. Ask a question.

Maybe your friend or family member didn’t mean to intentionally hurt or insult you. Perhaps they chose words too quickly. Ask, “Would you clarify what you just said?”

6. Revisit the conversation at a later time.

There’s nothing wrong with bluntly saying, “I don’t think either of us is at our best right now. Can we pause this conversation and revisit it another day?" Remember, conversations are building blocks to help us get to know each other better. They are how we deepen and develop relationships. Don’t let one heated exchange destroy a lifelong relationship. It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to be correct, but do you want to be right, or do you want to be in a relationship? You can’t always have both.

what we're lovin'

This week's picks come from Mitchell Qualls, husband of 17 years to his wife Dalet, a dad of 2, and the Operations Director here at First Things First. Take a peek at his recommendations for this week because they are just THAT GOOD.Check 'em out 👀: 📺 "You vs. Wild"- is a Bear Grylls series on Netflix. Remember those choose your own adventure books when you were a kid? This is an interactive version. My kids love helping Bear make decisions. And they're learning about nature and animals as they help him. 💪 @selfsufficientkids- is an instagram account that's all about raising strong, independent kids. They give solid, practical tips for raising kids to be self-sufficient adults. 📲 TJ Therrien- is one of my fav influencers on Instagram and TikTok. He has tons of funny videos about birth order. My wife and I laugh as we see ourselves in his videos. He has a podcast too called The Funny Thing About Parenting. Love him!

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