When my daughters were 9 and 7 years old, our family moved from Massachusetts to Washington State. My wife and I, in our infinite wisdom, decided to make our move into an exotic adventure. We would drive across the country in the late spring--Why take major highways when we could explore the back roads of our great nation? Why not camp and only occasionally stay at motels? Our station wagon was packed so tightly with gear that we needed a crowbar to fit our children into the backseat. Read more about The Travel Challenge: Take a Child’s-eye View First

What is a huge source of household conflict?---Chore wars! A friend of mine recently shared with me that the biggest cause of resentment towards her husband was his lack of household help. She is a full time working mom with two boys and a girl, and she feels like she is responsible for the lion’s share of household duties. “He’s a great Dad and the kids love him, but I can’t count on him to help with meals or laundry!” Both parents work full time and let’s face it; there is a lot to do. Read more about More about the dreaded subject - housework!

I was at a meeting recently where the presenter talked about the importance of creating “goodwill” in the workplace. Some work environments are healthy and positive, where employees and administrators feel supported. But many companies have a work atmosphere that is tense, negative, and unhealthy—even toxic. In these organizations, workers feel negative about their company. They find themselves complaining and feel disengaged. They don’t like going to work. Read more about Creating goodwill at work

Not long ago, I agreed to do something, but didn’t follow through. A few days later my good friend communicated his disappointment with me.

I was embarrassed and I felt bad. Of course, I had several good reasons why I hadn’t followed through (excuses), but I have come to realize something important. There is no excuse for not following through on our agreements. If I make a mistake, or let someone down, I have to take full responsibility for my actions---no ifs, ands, or buts.  But then what? Where do I go from there? Read more about Taking responsibility for your mistakes