I-Messages Help Teach Expected Behavior

“Tom drives me crazy,” Caroline said as she went on and on about how upset she was with her son’s behavior. “When did you decide to let your son drive you crazy?” I asked. “What are you talking about? I’m in control of my emotions.” “I thought I heard you say Tom drives you crazy.” […]


Put First Things First

put first things first

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey tells us that time management is a misnomer. Our challenge is not to manage time but to manage ourselves. Our focus should be on enhancing relationships and accomplishing results instead of focusing on things and time. Covey says that our activities can be […]


Engaging Cooperation

Engaging Cooperation

When we get into a hurry to have something done, we often offer a reward to the person who gets the job done first. Years ago, I read about a sales organization that had restructured its reward system. In the past the company had always given a trip to their top three salespeople. Historically there […]


Teaching Children to Be Polite

Teaching Children To Be Polite

“True politeness is the spontaneous movement of a good heart and an observing mind. Benevolence will teach us tenderness towards the feelings of others, and habits of observation will enable us to judge promptly and easily what those feelings are.” Lydia Marie Child, The Mother’s Book, published 1831 Until the age of six, we are […]