Parenting Unpugged with Mark Gregston

We can complain about how much time our kids spend online, texting, playing video games and other digital media—but we adults aren’t much better.
Kids tend to mimic the behavior of their parents.  So, set a good example by turning off your own cell phone, computer and television one evening a week.  Get out the board games and ban all digital devices.  Use it as a time to ask questions and get to know what’s going on in their lives.
Your kids will complain and think you’ve lost your mind, but after a few weeks they’ll begin looking forward to it.  And you’ll have set up a tradition they’ll likely pass on to their own families.

Tension in the home by Mark Gregston

When I was growing up, we often would sit around the dinner table and eat an entire meal without saying a word. There was a lot of tension in my parent’s home.  It hovered over every meal and family gathering like the cloud over the “Pig Pen” Peanuts comic character.  But it wasn’t comical, not for us kids.  We couldn’t wait for the day we could leave home. If there is something causing tension in your family, I suggest you find the cause and address it. Tension in the home is like stretching a rubber band.  Sooner or later, if the tension isn’t released, it will snap, and the one to be hurt by it will likely be you.