Epoch Times

Family & Education Parenting Matters: A Guide to Raising Good Kids How to give children a strong moral compass BY Parnell Donahue  June 7, 2022PRINT My wife, Mary, and I were talking about the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, when she brushed tears from her brown eyes and asked, “What could be worse than having a … Read more

Family & Education   Parenting Matters: Sleep as Medicine BY Parnell Donahue May 23, 2022PRINT Sometimes we forget that Mother Nature has as many “cures” as doctors have, maybe more. Case in point, sleep is medicine. One pediatric study found a robust association between poor sleep and a host of childhood problems. “Nearly every concern … Read more

Family & Education Parenting Matters: The Miracle of Adoption BY Parnell Donahue May 1, 2022PRINT With Mother’s Day in view, I’m thinking about mothers and what distinguishes them from other women. While no two women are the same, there is one major difference: Mothers raise children. Some women look forward to having children but, for … Read more

Family & Education Parenting Matters: Teaching Your Kids About Money BY Parnell Donahue April 8, 2022 PRINT I had known 15-year-old Pat and his family for many years. His dad was a highly successful CEO, and it showed in the clothing he, his wife, and his kids wore, so I was surprised one summer day … Read more

Family & Education   Parenting Matters: How Music Helps Kids Learn Better BY Parnell Donahue March 1, 2022PRINT Some time ago, my friend Brian sent me a short video of his 6-year-old granddaughter playing the piano. It truly was spell-binding. Tears ran down my face as I listened to the very familiar strains of “America,” … Read more

Family & Education Parenting Matters: Food for Thought Often, we teach better through our actions than our words BY Parnell Donahue TIMEFebruary 8, 2022 Everything parents do is important. Recently, The Tennessean, a daily newspaper in Nashville, featured a chef I wish I could meet. When he was asked the secret to creating great food, … Read more

Family & Education Parenting Matters: The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Children: Love Your Spouse BY Parnell Donahue TIMEJanuary 25, 2022 The best thing parents can do for their kids is to love each other. Recently, my wife, Mary, and I were in my doctor’s waiting room, where she found an old copy … Read more

Family & Education Parenting Matters: Make Having Fun With Your Family a Priority BY Parnell Donahue TIMEJanuary 11, 2022 When our family lived in Wisconsin, we took advantage of February’s cold weather by having a cookout on our pond. By Valentine’s Day, the pond was topped with 15 to 20 inches of solid ice, so … Read more

As with everything, learning values begins in the home. (Julia M Cameron/Pexels) FAMILY & EDUCATION Parenting Matters: How to Talk About Politics With Your Kids BY Parnell Donahue TIMENovember 30, 2021 Today’s politicians are much like the blind men who “saw” the elephant in John Godfrey Saxe’s classic poem. Written almost 250 years ago, “The Blind … Read more

Many illnesses are blamed on teething but are actually due to the expiration of maternal antibodies. (Oksana Kuzmina/Shutterstock) MIND & BODY Teething Does Not Cause … Teething is an important and often misunderstood stage BY Parnell Donahue October 18, 2021 Many studies have confirmed that teething does not cause irritability, chewing, drooling, coughing or diarrhea and … Read more

Having a pet teaches kids some important life lessons, such as responsibility. (Nestor Rizhniak/Shutterstock) FAMILY & EDUCATION Parenting Matters: The Value of Pets Not only do family pets offer many health benefits, but they can also teach kids about caring and responsibility BY Parnell Donahue TIMEOctober 11, 2021 I became acutely aware of the value of pets while … Read more

children benefit from volunteering work; when they are older and get the first job, they can choose a charity to support. (Dmytro Zinkevych/Shutterstock) FAMILY & EDUCATION Parenting Matters: Become a Dynamic Parent BY Parnell Donahue TIMESeptember 21, 2021 In his book, “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic,” Matthew Kelly describes four characteristics that separate dynamic … Read more

(Photographee.eu/Shutterstock) Parenting Matters: Teach Your Kids to Discriminate By Parnell Donahue July 27, 2021 Updated: July 27, 2021 Print When we were kids, our parents taught us right from wrong. They had rather strict rules we had to follow. In addition, they helped us evaluate and judge the actions of other kids and allowed us to make … Read more

(Photographee.eu/Shutterstock) Parenting Matters: Teach Your Kids to Discriminate By Parnell Donahue July 27, 2021 Updated: July 27, 2021 Print When we were kids, our parents taught us right from wrong. They had rather strict rules we had to follow. In addition, they helped us evaluate and judge the actions of other kids and allowed us to make … Read more

Dear Next Generation, an advice column from readers to young people. (Photo by Shutterstock) Dear Next Generation: Life Lessons I Learned From Teenagers By Dear Next Generation March 23, 2021 Updated: March 23, 2021 Print I am intrigued by the letters that subscribers write to the young generation and am moved emotionally by many of them. For … Read more

Be the person you want your kids to become. (byswat/Shutterstock) Parenting Matters: When Does Parenting Teenagers Begin? By Parnell Donahue August 7, 2021 Updated: August 16, 2021 Print When I decided to extend my pediatric practice to include adolescents, I thought I would be able to help all those troubled teens and their families get back on … Read more

Mothers have the opportunity to shape their families and their communities. (Xavier Mouton Photographie) FAMILY & HOME Parenting Matters: The Lifesaving Power of Mothers By Parnell Donahue July 11, 2021 Think of all that mothers do! First they carry us for nine months, then birth us into the light. They clean, feed, educate, and support us physically, … Read more

Parenting Matters: 10 Things Every Father Should Know BY PARNELL DONAHUE July 6, 2021 Steven, the father of a 2-year-old boy, wrote me to ask: “What do I need to know to be a great parent?” What a great question; and one I hope all men and women who are expecting a child ask. First, let … Read more

So many parents fret about how to discipline their kids; fearing anything they do will morph their fragile angels into raving teen maniacs. Our goal today is to help parents strike a happy chord that leads to sane parents and kids of character.

So, if you have children, are expecting children, or even thinking about having children, stop and ask yourself and your spouse, “What is discipline? What does it mean to you, to me, to us?”

“How to be a good parent” classes, or books, start with the parent—if the parent does this, the child will do that. “How to parent” literature starts with the child—if the child does this, the parent should do that. This latter type of parenting has the cart before the horse. These parents try to lead from behind. That just doesn’t work.

Too often pediatricians, other parenting experts, and parents, think parenting is about the children. But, parenting is about the parent. And because parents are the most influential role models kids have, this training is an essential part of a well-child visit.