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The Voice of the Family
Just like you have to learn how to both say and hear a No, you have to hear and respond to a Yes. As valuable as No is, in both saying it and hearing it, hearing a Yes is probably the most important thing in parenting vocabulary development.
Language is naturally a two-way street. It would be very difficult to be able to speak a language, but not understand it when someone else speaks it. There may perhaps be a disability like that, but it would be a very useless thing if everyone could speak a language but not understand it.
Susan Boyle
Now that you’ve got “No” firmly installed in your vocabulary, let’s not forget its all-important, in fact more important, counterpart. No other word is perhaps more vital to parenting than a simple little word. It works wonders, as long as it is used at the right times. (more…)
Me Up Against a Wall
Do you like learning new and rare words with which to impress your friends and family? I’ve got a great word to teach you. It’s not something all that strange and unusual like fustian, bucolic, or temerarious. In fact, it’s something we say daily.
I agree with whomever said that insanity is when you do the same things the same way and expect different results. It is hard to get anywhere if you won’t bend. Family life is not a straight corridor with smooth walls, floor, and ceiling. If you can’t turn the corner now and then, you’ll end up with a very flat nose. (more…)
It is an inescapable fact that children need discipline. Too many times I’ve seen families fall apart because one parent or another thinks it is hurtful to a child to say “No.”
You’ve seen those children. They are raising hell while their parents, pie-eyed with the intoxication of adoration for every little misdeed the little tyke perpetrates on the public, do nothing. (more…)
Osprey Nest Atop Power Pole
When I was a boy, like every other boy, I tried to get out of work. One of my favorite tactics for getting out of work was to try it for a few minutes, make a half-hearted effort, and then declare in frustration, “I can’t!”
My mother never varied her answer. “Can’t never did anything,” she would say. (more…)
There are, of course, all of the natural disasters that we sometimes refer to as acts of God. It’s not my favorite term. I don’t think of God that way. What I’m talking about in this article are things that are man-made or man-operated systems, like the government, institutions, what we call “the system”.
When dealing with the system, you may be expected to make a few changes to keep your children or have them returned. It doesn’t help to dig in your heels and refuse to make these changes. The system is bigger than you are. (more…)
Welcome to VoxFamilia.org, a resource for families trying to stay together. Whether you’re dealing with a potential divorce, having children removed, loss of parental rights, or even if you’re doing well, we hope the articles and resources here will strengthen your family. We will be teaching skills, giving tips, and providing online support groups.
Our definition of “family” is fairly broad, although we affirm that the ideal environment for raising children is a two-parent home with a mother and father. As with anything, you do the best you can with what you have. We also recognize that some configurations that don’t fit the ideal may, in fact, be working better than those that do.
What is most important is that you take what you have and make it better. You adjust here and there and you do it together.
