Pets: Why Dogs Prefers to Drink From the Toilet

Does your dog drink from the toilet even though you put fresh water out for him? There may be a good reason why. Once you understand why a dog prefers to drink from the toilet, you can make the proper accommodations for your beloved pet.

To a dog, a toilet is like a cool, spring-fed reservoir of fresh water. One reason that dogs prefer toilet water is that the porcelain keeps water cooler, the water is usually kept fresh from frequent flushing, and porcelain does not negatively affect the taste of water like metal or plastic sometimes can.



Another reason that dogs may prefer toilet water is instinctual. In the wild, dogs gravitate towards running water over still water. Running water has less of a tendency to  ........read more

Why Teens Contemplate Suicide

Mary was a normal, middle-class, 15 year-old girl.  She fit in pretty well at school.  She was involved with her youth group at church and she loved to play volleyball.  Over the last couple of years, her life had taken some stressful turns since her mom and dad divorced.  Mary’s mom was tired, frustrated, and angry much of the time from working two jobs to try to take care of Mary and her little sister.  Mary’s dad had remarried and was very involved with his new family.  Mary found herself lonely and sad most of the time. Mary’s grades had always been high and her parents were proud of her for succeeding academically.  But now her grades were starting to fall short of the norm and Mary was actually failing math.  She was afraid to tell her mother because she didn’t want for her mother to be disappointed in her.  She knew that her mother had recently gotten a prescription for sleeping pills from the doctor.  It really sounded very appealing to Mary to just go to sleep and never wake up. As she poured a handful of pills into her hand, Mary heard her little sister come bouncing into the house.  It would be several hours before Mary’s mother would be home and Mary didn’t want her little sister to be the one to have to deal with the tragedy that was about to ensue.  Mary put the pills back. The next day, Mary mustered the courage to talk to her mother about what almost took place.  She found out that her mother cared deeply about what was going on in her life and was more than willing to help.

Teens Become Overwhelmed

Many teens that survive a suicide attempt have said that they were trying to escape a seemingly impossible situation or avoid unrelenting bad feelings.  They say that they don’t want to die as much as they are want relief from painful emotions.  Some teens may be feeling rejected, worthless, or, like Mary, they may feel like they are a disappointment to family members.  These feelings can overwhelm the underdeveloped teen mind and, in a moment of charged emotion, they can consider acting on the impulse to take their own life.


The Depression Component

It’s probably safe to say that most teens are confronted with stressful situations from time to time, and yet most are able to cope.  What is the difference between those...........read more

The Dynamics of the Blended Family

Would you be surprised to learn that for the first time in history, step families are more common than non-step families?  Life in a step family, which modern terminology refers to as a blended family, isn’t always smooth sailing and, in fact, can be quite challenging.

Expectations

Because blended families come with their own unique dynamics, it is implausible to assume that step families will always behave like intact families.  Many parents enter a blended situation with misguided expectations.  They think their desire to love and nurture their stepchildren will be grounds for full-fledged acceptance and reciprocated affection and that possibly their stepchildren will even regard them like they do a natural parent.  In reality, however, the circumstances take on some serious complexity and conditions are rarely so cut and dried.  In natural families, children are an extension of the parents.  Because of this, natural parents are usually jointly motivated to devote hefty amounts of time, energy, and money into their progeny.  Step parenting, however, is not that predictable and often drifts into uncharted territory for both parent and child.  It takes awareness on the part of the step parents to come to the realization that the dynamics of their new blend won’t be the same as a natural family.  With this recognition, the blended family has a better chance of tracking a more positive course.

Sex and Biology

In a natural family, a man and a woman come together to have a child.  Most of the time, both parents have the interest of the child at heart.  They combine their energies to tend to and nurture the child.  In step families, however, sexual energies of the couple and biological energies of parent/child relationship can cause family members to move emotionally in opposing directions.  This polarization can be the.........read more

Balancing Work and Life: Two Essential Elements

For many working adults, managing the demands of a career in addition to constantly having to juggle the obligations of a busy household is becoming more of a challenge.  Oftentimes, the requirements that create a negative pull on a person’s time result in overwork, over-exhaustion, and high levels of stress.

The Balancing Act

It’s important to remember that the true harmony found in managing work and family life is not always a completely balanced equation.  The hours you spend at work versus the hours spent with family may change from time to time, or even day to day, depending upon you and your family’s circumstances.  Regardless of how your day is divvied up, there are two elements that should always take the center stage in your awareness and remain constant:   Success and satisfaction.

Success

All too often, society stresses the importance of success and achievement as it relates to financial gains, material assets, and career performance.  In fact, that emphasis can be very important to many areas of life, including a healthy self-esteem.  Success, however, is a relative term that would be better defined subjectively according to the individual person, rather than objectively, as classified by society. In the broadest sense,......read more

Movie Reviews: Red Tails

Red Tails is the riveting, true tale of the Tuskegee airmen, the first African American Army Air Corps fighter squadron that fought in World War II. More than just a movie, Red Tails is a captivating account of a group of brave heroes who overcame the overwhelmingly difficult experience of racial segregation.  This movie chronicles the pioneering spirit of the Tuskegee Airmen who were determined to prove themselves worthy to fight for their country and be recognized for their efforts.

In light of history, Red Tails underscores the injustices and prejudice that the African American race has endured in the past and applauds how far we have come as a nation in implementing equality.

This movie is a motivational must-see for kids.  Its prevailing themes of bravery, courage, and determination can apply to many modern-day situations.   Rated PG-13, Red Tails presents many valuable lessons that will leave older children believing in themselves and feeling that they can excel despite seemingly overwhelming odds.

Red Tails stars Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Gerald McRaney and David Oyelowo.

Banishing Four Common Parenting Myths

“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.”  – John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester

Parenting is a challenging endeavor and many moms and dads complicate the process by adopting some rather frustrating myths.  What do you believe concerning good parenting and well-behaved children?  Common Myths Consider the following myths about parenting and honestly evaluate whether you are consciously or unconsciously buying into them.

Myth #1 – Committed parents who are emotionally connected have children that are naturally well-behaved. The truth of the matter is that even loving, committed and engaged parents have children that act up from time to time.  The mistake that parents make is unfairly associating a child’s actions or imperfections to the level of love and care that a parent offers their child.  The fact is that children are human and they are going to throw temper tantrums and pitch fits no matter how emotionally connected their parents are to them.  Those types of behaviors are just part of being immature and they are not a direct reflection on your level of commitment to the parenting process.  Conduct that adults label as “misbehavior” is really a very..............read more

Talking to Teens about Forgiveness

Because so many adults put so little thought into or value upon the concept of extending forgiveness to others, it’s no wonder that teens often have a difficult time understanding and implementing this very important concept.

Taking a Lesson from Little Kids

For the most part, young children have a natural ability to forgive one another.  Just like older kids, children may get angry and frustrated with their playmates and they often declare I’m not your friend anymore!  Then a few minutes later the matter is forgotten and they are playing amicably with their counterpart again.  As children get older, however, they learn some harmful habits like keeping score, expecting everything to be fair all of the time, and holding grudges.  At times, parents can even be found holding grudges for their children.  As such, it becomes increasingly important to cultivate and nurture a forgiving attitude.  If adolescents fail to learn to forgive, their lives.......read more