The kids are hungry, dinner is late, everyone's tired and on edge, and then it happens--you lose control and blow up at them again. Is losing control with our children inevitable in our busy world? Or is there a better way?

Learn from William P. Smith a better way to relate to your children than with irritation, anger, and harsh words. Drawing on his counseling and parenting experiences, he explains why you lose control with your children, and then offers strategies that will help you change the way you relate to your children when you are under pressure.
 

 “God, where were you?”

That’s the good version of the question, because you are still on speaking terms with the Lord.

But if this question is left unresolved, over time it becomes, “Where was God when __________ happened [I was raped, my child died, I was fired because of someone’s lies . . . ]? You are no longer talking to God, you are now talking about him.

Later? Just silence. God, from your perspective, is no longer a player in everyday life.

Only once have I rebuked a class of students. It was a Doctor of Ministry class. Fine students, dead boring material – statistics, research design – though I tried my best to make it interesting. Some of the students were not putting in any effort.

I stopped for a moment from the fascinating world of t-tests and spoke personally to them. I said something like, “Some of you are not prepared for class and are just going through the motions. I want you to consider what you are doing here and decide if you want to continue.”

#1 Most-Read Blog Post of 2010!

It is the most difficult of maneuvers. There are no guarantees of success. And the stakes are high. But we have no choice: we must learn how to do it.

How do you disarm an angry person?