Category: parenting
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Control Versus Self-Control
I’m really struck by the expectations put on parents today. A short list of some parental responsibilities: All the basics, like food, and clothing, oh– and a great place to live Unending emotional support Unlimited defense, we’re expected to be like our kids personal attorney + agent Picking the right school, pre-school through graduate school Getting them…
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Help! My Teenager is Addicted to Reading
I heard giggles coming from her bedroom. It was nearly midnight. She’d gone to bed hours before. I stared down the hallway expecting to see darkness but I saw a streak of light peaking under her door. Inching near her door I heard it. It’s a sound every parent fears coming from their teenagers room.…
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Leaping Lambs of Innocence Embraced
A week ago my oldest turned thirteen. Sometimes in life you realize you are rounding a corner while you’re actually rounding the corner… and Megan turning thirteen was one of them. Things are changing for her. How we’re parenting her is changing. It’s pretty amazing to have a front row seat to all that’s changing in…
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Jackson Time
One of the traditions I’m trying to introduce is taking each of the kids on a “dad trip” once per year. I don’t pretend to be a model parent, I do a lot of things wrong— But one thing I think I’m doing well is creating memorable experiences with Megan, Paul, and Jackson.
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This isn’t The Cosby Show
I grew up with The Cosby Show. Thursday nights on NBC. It was must-see TV.
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Christmanticipation
The kids try not to think about it. But there is a growing pile of things under the Christmas tree with their names on it. That pile calls out to them.
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Small Talk
One thing that works for me as a parent is creating [hopefully] memorable experiences. I’m not great in the day-to-day. But I feel like I’m pretty decent when I can do something special with my kids. We used yesterday’s Wooden Legacy Finals in Anaheim as an excuse to hang out together for twelve hours. And…
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Solo Time
3 hours from now Megan and I are leaving for the airport. We’ll fly to Chicago today where we’ll spend a few days together exploring the city before doing some work Monday through Wednesday. In so many ways the McLane’s are Chicagoans. We both moved to the city in 1994 for college. We met there…
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Making Memories with My Kids
I’m not the worlds best parent. But I am pretty good at making memories with my kids. Here’s a list of things you can try.
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Parenting with a goal in mind
Here are some words Kristen and I use to describe our long-term hopes for our kids. Independent-minded. Dependent on a loving God. Recklessly, hope-filled dream chasers. Happy and simple adult relationships. We jokingly sum up our goal of parenting like this, “We don’t ever want to see our kids on Springer.” That’s not the most…