Are Ineffective Parenting Styles Leading to Increased Bad Behavior in Kids With Dr. Kevin Leman [Podcast]

02/19/18 • 28 min

While music videos, TV sitcoms, and Hollywood movies too often portray kids as having equal rights, authority, and wit as their adult counterparts, we are seeing similar behaviors playing out in real life as well. We see it in our school systems, internet videos, government, sporting events, grocery stores, and, sadly, even in our churches. Even younger kids do not seem to respect or mind their parents like they used to. Has our culture, itself, been a greater contributor to this than most of us realize? As God-fearing parents, how do we pass on our values to our kids, while maintaining our sanity in a society that’s gone insane? Dr. Kevin Leman is an internationally known psychologist and New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 books, including The Birth Order Book and Have a New Kid by Friday. His new book, Making Children Mind Without Losing Yours, is completely updated and expanded for a new generation of parents. The previous edition of this book sold more than 1 million copies. Dr. Leman lives with his wife, Sande, in Arizona; they have five children and four grandchildren. How Bad Behavior Is Becoming the New Normal For Kids It seems that just about everyone you talk to these days has a Walmart story. By that I mean a story about kids behaving badly while their parents do their best to maintain their sanity and dignity. I have a few of these Walmart stories myself. And it's not like Walmart is the only place that this happens, there are many other public venues where kids have been seen acting out and not minding their parents or other authority figures for that matter. In fact, it seems that the news regularly reports incidents of kids cussing-out, flipping-off, and even physically assaulting their teachers in the public school system with little-to-no consequences afterwards. The thing that I just can’t understand is that when kids get in trouble at school today, too many parents are quick to put the teachers on the hot seat instead of Junior. In the past, when you got in trouble at school, round two was coming even hotter and heavier from your parents when you got home. I was in a doctor’s office recently, and I overheard a conversation between two retired public school teachers. Both of them were talking about the incredible changes in today’s kids compared to just 10 years ago. They went on to talk about how happy they were to have gotten out at a time where they still had their sanity— and their lives! I’m not kidding! Things are a mess today. I know our parents’ generation gets accused of being too “authoritarian”—and maybe they were. But most kids did what their parents told them to do back then. Kids minded their parents—in their presence, anyway. Hopefully, today’s guest will help us figure out how we can get our kids to mind us, not only in our presence, but in our absence as well. Dr. Kevin Leman and I discuss effective parenting styles as we cover the following topics: What are the different parenting styles? Is there a parenting style that is harmful? Why your child might say that he or she “hates” you. Why encouragement is better than praising your child. Examples of an authoritative parent. How do I address violence in the home? The importance of not raising all of your kids in the exact same way. Picture provided by: alphalight1

Previous Episode

What Are the Benefits of Letting Kids Know About the Afterlife With Dr. Mary C. Neal [Podcast]

Challenging our kids to ponder the reality of the afterlife is too often an overlooked component in raising emotionally healthy kids today. But what if you could tell your kids about someone who claims to have been there and then returned to earth to tell about it? Well, after today’s program, you will have plenty to talk about with your kids concerning the afterlife. Today, we will be talking to someone who claims to have been there. Mary C. Neal, MD is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, former director of spine surgery at the University of Southern California, a founding partner of the Orthopedic Associates of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and the author of 7 Lessons from Heaven and To Heaven and Back. Dr. Neal received her medical degree from the School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she also trained in general surgery before completing an orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Southern California. She has served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole, is a member of the board of directors for several nonprofit organizations, and created the Willie Neal Environmental Awareness Fund. More information about Dr. Neal and her books can be found at her website, drmarynealbooks.com. How Letting Kids Know About the Afterlife May Shape Their Faith When someone claims to have visited the afterlife, I think it is fair to teach our kids to sort through the claim and not automatically reject it. After all, we’re expecting our kids to believe a lot of similar things from the Bible—not the least of which is the ultimate afterlife experience upon which our entire faith rests. That, of course, being the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Himself. If we’re expected to believe—and expect our kids to believe—the account of Christ’s death and resurrection from 2,000 years ago, then I think it’s only fair to at least hear out someone who claims to have had a first-hand supernatural experience in contemporary times. I think that refusing to keep an open mind about it might prove us guilty of denying the very power that we claim our God possesses even today. It also puts us in a similar position as those people in Scripture who were forced to believe or refute the testimonies of those who claimed supernatural experiences back in the day. For me, the bottom line is this: Anything that could help build my faith or the faith of my children, I want to know about it. By the same token, anything that could clarify what I believe or even challenge it, I want to know about that too. Truth is a lifelong pursuit. Today, Dr. Mary C. Neal and I discuss her experience with the afterlife as we cover the following topics: Mary C. Neal’s traumatic kayaking accident. What Mary learned during her life review. What Mary experienced while she was underwater. Is it true that she saw Jesus? Why she believes this experience happened to her. Why this miraculous story is relevant to you and your family. How does Mary answer the skeptics? Picture provided by: maxpixel.freegreatpicture.com

Next Episode

Why Parents Should Regulate Digital Technology for Their Kids with Dr. Kathy Koch [Podcast]

The digital technology that is so common today is allowing kids—and adults—to practice some healthy and productive habits and some destructive and unhealthy habits. Because of this, parents would be wise to regulate digital technology for their kids and develop guidelines for using it at home and away from home. Dr. Kathy Koch is the founder and president of Celebrate Kids Inc., a ministry based in Fort Worth, Texas. She has reached many educators, parents, kids, and others through numerous speaking engagements and appearances on radio programs. Dr. Koch has written six books. Her bestselling books include 8 Great Smarts: Discover and Nurture Your Child’s Intelligences and Screens and Teens: Connecting With Our Teens in a Wireless World. Before founding Celebrate Kids and becoming an active speaker, Dr. Koch was active in the field of education. At various times, she worked as an elementary school teacher, a coach, a tenured associate professor, and a school board member. How Dangerous Technologies of the Past Should Teach Us to Regulate Digital Technology Consider what it was like at the beginning of the 1900s. Industry and technology were developing quickly, and cars were quickly becoming a normal part of everyday life in America. How long do you think it took for people to realize that rules and regulations were needed to keep people safe on the road? As time went by, people noticed that things like signs, traffic lights, blinkers, seat belts, and many others were necessary to keep people safe. Next, they agreed that young people had to reach a certain age before being allowed to drive a car. Our society even dictated that adults had to take an exam and carry a license in order to get behind the wheel. All of this for a technology that doesn’t create addicts! Now we must consider the world we live in today. Technology is advancing faster than ever before in many areas. But unlike the early 1900s, when the dangers of new industrial technology were physical in nature, new digital technology effects minds, emotions, and attitudes more than physical bodies. Because these risks are harder to quantify, we seem to be taking our time in enacting a system of safety for digital technology. Today Dr. Kathy Koch and I discuss the influence of digital technology as we cover the following topics: Do Christians seem to be overlooking the point of christianity? How do our children’s behaviors connect to their media habits? The importance of relationships. Why your child’s opinions fluctuate so frequently. How do we train our kids not to compartmentalize? Why are parents struggling with improving their homes? How parents can rise above their peers and raise godly kids. Picture provided by: pixnio.com