“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 …