How long does puberty in a boy last? A friend of mine who shall remain anonymous, but I’ll refer to as Max, was talking with me about the question of when we “grow up.” He related his own story which I’ll paraphrase, in which he talked about the moment when he “became a man” to quote him. It was…in his thirties!
The story Max told was that prior to this incident, which he defined as his turning point towards manhood, he had always struggled with standing up for himself. Why …

“No” is a powerful word and tool in parenting. It is much more powerful than the easier said, “Yes!” The boomer generation of parents, myself included, may have raised the most spoiled generation of children in history. This has sadly occurred at an economic time when “spoiled” will not work for their betterment.

Do you remember the movie, “Love Story,” and the over-used, over-promoted, and overly hyped line from it – “Love is never having to say you’re sorry?” I do, and I remember what a bad book and …

Do you think that Charlie Sheen is a great parenting model? Of course I don’t, but I bet I got your attention? He is a great model–of how not to behave, as so many of our so-called “celebrities” are today–in abundance.

When I was growing up we had terrific male role models. JFK stood out as the image of a man to me when I was a boy. I was devastated by his assassination. Sports stars were also heroic and in some cases much larger than life, especially to …

How fortunate our lives are. How hard it is for so many. I know our sons have no idea how the majority of the rest of the world lives today or have suffered over the centuries. Returning from Southeast Asia, my wife and I were heartily reminded of the harsh lives so many people on this planet live. Yet, we were equally struck by the joy that we so often witnessed on the faces of people who live, by our standards, with so little.
There are …

I’ve enjoyed music for as long as I can remember. There were even genetic connections in my family. My father played violin and his father was a conductor who had perfect pitch. When it came to me, I could passably play guitar and I’ve been told that I have a decent singing voice. I think my rendition of Elvis’ “Can’t Help Falling in Love” is especially good. Music tends to define every generation and now, that I have teenagers, I’m enjoying their different tastes in music, although …

The recent earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan hit me very hard. The images and stories that were available so quickly were profoundly scary, real, and heart wrenching. I immediately reflected on my gratitude for not suffering such a tragedy and remembered my own brush with death (written about in my “Gratitude” column) where I walked away from what could have been a deadly car crash.

At that time, the first thing I did was literally pat each limb of my body to see if they were still attached and not bleeding …

I just returned from a fascinating cruise to the Far East where I visited eight different countries. As you can imagine, the diversity of cultures, sites, and people was considerable, but the thing that struck me the most was the exceptional work ethic I experienced.

For a variety of reasons, mostly due to labor laws but I also believe due to a diminished American work ethic, the majority of the staff on our cruise ship came from Eastern European, South American, and Asian countries. Their demeanor and good cheer was so …

Given our busy lives, one-on-one time for our spouses is often difficult to find, but we would all agree that it is a necessary component to keeping a marriage healthy and vital. The same holds true for our relationships with our children, yet too often we are doing things as a family-unit.

I went for a walk with my older son recently and realized that other than time in the car, we were not spending enough one-on-one time together. “My bad,” as the kids say. One of my …

I was walking with a good friend who shared the ongoing problems he and his wife were having with one of their children. It was a serious problem. It was clear, on his face and demeanor, how troubled he was. I know him well and I know he is a good parent, an attentive one, a caring one, and a smart one. Yet, nothing they seem to do is helping with this one particular child, a young adult really, and it was clear that this situation …

The expression, “Bursts of Expression” came from one of my readers, Margaret Light, who wrote to me after reading my column, “Does Being On Time Mean Anything Anymore?” She wrote, “If we want to foster what I call ‘bursts of expression’ (or how a kid communicates via technology) rather than conversation that actually relies on a give and take relationship, then keep nurturing cell phone use. If we want to foster a perception that the world we walk through and live in is the size of a ‘2×2’ phone …