Lets start simply; there isn't just one thing you do to raise a confident child. It takes time, love, responsibilities, successes and yes even failures.

The theory that has circulated for years of “everyone wins” just does not work. Back to basics parenting works every time. Kids need to learn success and sometimes that means they learn that they can overcome failure and find a new path. Handing success to kids only leads to dependency not independence.

We all love our kids, we know how hard it

One of my kid's favorite memories, one that gets talked about more than any other is growing and playing in a sunflower fort.

When they were small money was tight, (and isn't everybody's budget stretched to capacity now?) so we didn't take a vacation very often but kids need fun and adventure.

We had this patch of dirt in the side yard and I thought we should build a fort. Hmmmmm, what to do for materials? Then an old article I read about planting pole beans on a teepee frame came to mind and I

Several years ago a dear friend told me of a difficult time she had with her teenage son. His teen years were full of rebellion and she found that the only communication she had with him was shouting. Obviously this accomplishes nothing, but what to do?

One day when they were in the middle of a shouting match she had an inspiration. She felt that she was almsot outside herself and being taught. She noticed that they were shouting across the room at each other. She noted just how far apart they

Growing up I had one tradition, putting up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Thats it, one tradition. So when my children were very small I decided we needed more traditions and set about making it happen. And so the Christmas Eve feast was born. It has evolved over the years and will continue to change to some extent as children have children and life moves forward. However the spirit of it will always be the same, and the happy memories will keep forever.

Our family is growing, moving farther apart, and seeing each other less often. It's a part of life but not one I'm really excited about.

When my kids were small I realized that we had only one, yes that's right one tradition growing up. I wanted traditions for my kids because I wanted them to have roots and memories, so I invented traditions for them and it was wonderful.

When trying to establish new traditions for your family you have to be flexible and willing to try things and let them go if

Several years ago we took my 8 year old nephew into our home to raise. At the time we had a 7 year old son, a 6 year old daughter, a 3 year old daughter and a newborn daughter. Yes our hands were full, but he was family and in need.

We had had him in our home a great deal as his mom struggled through a couple marriages and jobs so we were comfortable with each other and I felt pretty confident we were up to the task. I knew he had suffered some abuse and I believed that love could conquer all