Bill Corbett

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Bill LongShaw I hear parents complain that their kids don’t appreciate what they have. So much is available to our kids today that it’s hard for them to imagine being without. Then when they push their parents for more, it triggers a feeling of resentment for the parents as they think about all they've done and provided for their kids so far. My own kids occasionally threw in the, “All my friends have an (insert anyone of these here: iPhone, TV, Xbox, Six Flags pass, etc.), why can’t I have one?” It’s common for them to think that every other child has what they want, even though it may not be true. Remain calm when they make these claims and stand firm in your position to not cave at their demands. Instead of reminding your children of all that you’ve bought or done for them, let their cries for more stuff be your reminder to get them involved in something that gives to others. From food banks, to pet adoption groups, to the...

I produce and host a one-hour television show called Creating Cooperative Kids.  The show airs on many public access channels and helps parents and teachers with challenging behavior issues for raising cooperative and resilient children and teens. On a recent episode I featured a group of moms from Connecticut who all co-authored and self-published the book Just Ordinary Moms: True Stories by Moms for Moms in May of 2013.  You’ll find it on Amazon for sure. The book is filled with true stories of motherhood are addicting, entertaining, and heart-warming - you can't read just one!  Motherhood is wonderful, most of the time ~ except when difficult things happen, such as your teenage boy doesn't come home, your daughter is caught with her pants down or text messages lead to terrible truths. The book is also contains sixteen stories, two poems, plus a final haunting story that literally (as they indicated) washed up onto the beach sands of Cape Cod and w...