ANOTHER TIP FROM HAL

Ok, I had to post this real quick. I am a big fan of Hal Runkel and have posted some of his advise before. Well, today I got a great email "Tip of the Day" from him. I'm just going to copy and past it in. It's so true!!!

Quote of the Day: "It is amazing how quickly the kids learn to drive a car, yet are unable to understand the lawnmower, snow-blower, or vacuum cleaner." — Ben Bergor, U.S. magician (1894-1981)

Hal's Take: Can I get an Amen? Isn't it amazing that kids can create power point presentations about their Christmas lists and figure out how to fix your ipod without even blinking, yet they will spend a full 15 minutes complaining about how hard it is to vacuum the living room? It is natural, though, I suppose. I would much rather spend time reorganizing my "guilty pleasures disco hits" selection than clean a toilet, but, life stinks that way (pun completely intended). My good friend John Alan Turner once said that there should be a sliding scale of freedom and responsibility when it comes to kids. As they grow, they should be given more of each, in proportion to one another. If they are given too much freedom without responsibility, they become spoiled. If given too much responsibility without freedom, they are rebels waiting to happen.

Hal Runkel, LMFT, author of ScreamFree Parenting:Raising Your Kids by Keeping Your Cool