Bill Corbett

Building Strong Money Habits for Life Money management is one of the most valuable life skills we can pass to the next generation. For parents, teaching financial literacy is not just about explaining dollars and cents—it’s about shaping habits, attitudes, and values that will influence them for decades to come. This is more than a conversation about bank accounts—it’s an ongoing relationship where lessons are learned in the moments you share, the examples you set, and the guidance you give. ________________________________________ Why Fathers’ Involvement Matters The father-son dynamic has a unique influence. Boys often absorb their attitudes toward money from watching their fathers—how they work, spend, save, and even stress about finances. By being intentional, fathers can ensure those lessons are positive and empowering. • Role Modeling: Children mirror what they see. A father who budgets, saves, and spends responsibly silently teaches those skills. • Life Context: Fathers can...

I wanted to take my autistic granddaughter to the butterfly botanical garden near us, but I was afraid she would want to touch everything and ruin the visit. Luckily, they have a list of rules at the entrance, and we went over them together. After reading through them a few times and getting her verbal commitment to follow them, I told her that we needed to come up with a "grandpa thing" (a consequence) that would have to happen if either one of us didn't obey the rules. We went back and forth with ideas until we settled (mainly me) on the (Actual picture of my granddaughter) decision that our adventure at the gardens would end. Knowing her very well, in the past, she would agree to the rules at first, but her autism didn't always allow her to maintain the agreement. The one rule I was most concerned with was that everyone must remain on the walkway and not venture into animal and plant life. Along the way, I watched her struggle with wanting to touch plants and butt...

Most parents share the desire for their child to become kind while developing respect and emotional strength. A peaceful home environment matters more to you than the chaotic atmosphere of constant power struggles between you and your child. The urge to establish consequences for boundary pushing from children leads parents into a pattern of questioning what punishment will stop their behavior. Children do not require increased disciplinary measures. Their needs extend beyond the realm of consequences to include a stronger connection. Get the LOVE, LIMITS & LESSONS cooperations book by CLICKING HERE . The Myth of “Making Them Learn” The standard parenting approach instructs parents to remove privileges when their child misbehaves. The method works to obtain temporary compliance, but it does not lead to sustained growth. Children develop better through relationships that offer them emotional safety and help them manage their feelings and actions. Our fru...

Some of my readers may be bothered by the fact that I refer to this as the DCF exercise, while others might consider it a gimmick. But I did it with my kids and it worked! Children don’t immediately understand the importance of cooperation, and they may need a little instruction and then coaching on how to participate effectively. This is especially true if you’ve given in to your children more than you should have, and you know it.  Some parents may not need to go this far, but it’s an option for those who wish their kids were more cooperative. Additionally, it can be a fun game that brings your family closer together. At the very least, it’s just another tool for their toolbox. Feel free to leave your comments on whether you support this or not. I value your opinions, so please feel free to share your thoughts. Best parenting tool EVER! Have you ever experienced a situation where you did something amazing for your children, such as taking them to Disney, buying them a game system...

When a young child captures a specimen of nature in the backyard, one parent might tell them they can keep it in a jar, while the other tells them to take it out of the house and let it go. Instead, make this a learning opportunity for the child and a chance to demonstrate respect for nature. It's also a good time to reinforce time away from the screen and experiencing the world around them. Allow them to keep the creature for a brief time and study it. Take some digital pictures of it and allow the children to decide which ones are their favorites to keep. Use an online application with your child to research information on the critter, what it eats, and the most favorable conditions for its habitat.   When it's time to let it go, allow the children to decide where they’ll release it. You could use it as an excuse to visit your local state park to let it go there and look for other forms of nature. You might be fortunate to have butterfly garden close enough for you and the c...

Children experimenting as an animal is absolutely normal. They do it because they are simply exploring or perhaps, to gain some attention. Parents should allow their children to behave like a cat at home and you as the parent, simply ignore it. If your child answers you with a meow, you can simply tell them, "I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. I will listen to you when you speak like a little girl." Then just walk away. If your child enters an activity at home meowing like a cat, for example coming to the dinner table. Just calmly tell her that only people can eat at the table and when she returns to being a little girl, she will get food and the rest of the family will speak to her and listen to her again. In other words, don't try to control your child when they are in one of these exploring modes. Let it be and get involved when she tries to participate in the family. Do not meow back at her, do not crawl around on all fours with her and don'...

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 14: COMPOSE A POEM FOR YOUR CHILD – Compose a poem about your child or describing how much you love her. Print if off on special preprinted paper with a border that can be purchased at office supply stores. Frame it and hang it on your child’s bedroom wall. You could even include the child’s picture or her foot or handprints if you had them done earlier. Sign it and read it to her nightly.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 13 FIND OUT WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL LOVED – Ask your child what he likes others to do to or for him that makes him feel loved. Dr. Gary Chapman, in his book THE FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES OF CHILDREN (Northfield Publishing, 1997), explains how each individual feels loved in different ways; receiving gifts, hearing words of affirmation, acts of kindness, or touch. Ask your child which one makes him feel loved.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 12: MAILBOXES – In a family meeting have everyone make and decorate a mailbox using any household craft items. On slips of paper, have everyone write short love notes to everyone at the table as a practice run and then insert them in the appropriate mailboxes. Have everyone hang their mailboxes on their bedroom door knobs for accepting mail whenever someone desires to write a note.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 11: SHARE HOW YOU LOVE YOURSELF – Create teachable moments with your child when they are open to learning, by explaining (and demonstrating) what you do to love yourself. This might be a tough exercise for some, but teaching a child to love himself starts by setting a healthy example they can see.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 10: CRAFT PROJECT – Using a family meeting, have everyone create a craft project that represents love to them. Provide a wide selection of construction paper and craft supplies and allow your children to create whatever comes to mind. Put the creations on display for everyone to see and enjoy, and photograph them to look at for many years to come.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 9: MOVIE NIGHT – Have a movie night with your child(ren), complete with big pillows to snuggle up with and a big bowl of popcorn. The one difference in making this night special is that the movie being featured will be the home movies you have of your child(ren)!

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 8: GIVE 100% OF YOUR ATTENTION – When your child approaches you to get your attention, stop what you’re doing, get to your child’s eye level, silence your mind-chatter, and remain completely quiet while your child speaks. Nothing feels better to a child (or an adult) who has something to say, than the sense of getting 100% of that adults attention in that moment.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD                                                                                        DAY 7: THE ENCOURAGEMENT FEAST – Use the ENCOURAGEMENT FEAST exercise with your family. Each person takes a turn in the center of the circle, facing each person who states one thing they love about the person in the center. Before the person in the center steps back into the circle, they must state one thing they love about them self. Then someone else steps into the circle.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 6: FRAME A PICTURE OF THE TWO OF YOU – Take a picture of you and your child, frame it, and then give it to your child to put in his or her room on the dresser or night table. If you have more than one child, create one for each of them. For an older child, put a picture of the two of you in a locket that the child can wear. This will also help calm a child who feels anxious when being away from the parent.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD         DAY 5:  SCHEDULE A DATE – Schedule a special Valentine date with each of your children. Put it on your calendar and tell your child so they will have something to look forward to. Scheduling in these dates ahead of time ensures they will happen. Then everything else that is less important can fill in around them. Why not schedule a date with your significant other as well? Do this every Sunday night for the week to come.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 4: BE AFFECTIONATE WITH YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER – Teach your children about love by expressing love for your significant other in front of them. Children who have healthy models of affection around them are likely to recreate in their adulthood what they witnessed as children. When your significant other and you argue or fight in front of the children, be sure and let the kids see the two of you makeup.

14 DAYS OF TIPS FOR DEMONSTRATING LOVE TO YOUR CHILD DAY 3: PLAN A PARTY – Help your child plan a V-Day party with all of their friends. For one activity at the party, provide a personalized mailbox (or bag) for each child. On blank slips of paper, have each child write down words that describe what they like about each of the other kids, one child per slip of paper. They will deposit them in each other’s’ mailboxes.

My parents punished all eight of us regularly, although I'll argue that I got it more as the oldest. The punishment included yelling, hitting and being sent to our room. When I was laying in my bed crying, I never thought about what it was that I did. All I ever thought about was how much I hated my parents and thoughts about how I could get even. I even had thoughts about running away and suicide, but I'm thankful today that I never acted on them. Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash Punishment is an old parenting tool designed to make a child "pay for what they did" and to feel bad about the way they acted. The belief is that the bad feeling will stick with them and motivate them to not repeat the behavior or action. It also enables a parent to take their frustration out on the child... frustration about what the child did, the result of the behavior and just their general frustration they might be feeling at the moment. But punishment has side effects that can cr...

I'm Bill Corbett, the author of the book LOVE, LIMITS & LESSONS: A PARENT'S GUIDE TO RAISING COOPERATIVE KIDS and I've spent over 25 years working with parents and teachers with children with challenging behaviors. By subscribing to this blog, you'll learn techniques for getting your kids to cooperate with you and the result will be having children who are more loving and fun to be with. These techniques are respectful to both you and your child and when practiced over and over, you'll find yourself with more peace and calmness in your home, or in your classroom if you're a teacher.  Photo by  Terricks Noah  on  Unsplash One day my 8-year-old daughter didn't arrive home from school as she normally did. I was working from home on this day and quickly became worried. I headed down the street and began retracing her steps back to the local elementary school. As I approached a tall fence that surrounded a ball field, I saw her at the back of the field and be...