Family of Cut Yorktown Cheerleaders Files Legal Complaint
- FOX Houston
A letter from the firm to the district, dated July 5, states, "On behalf of our clients, this firm has filed a complaint against Yorktown I.S.D. and several administrators at Yorktown High School regarding unfair, and what we believe are unconstitutional, practices regarding the selection of cheerleaders. ..."

Complaining To Friends Increases Girls' Misery
- ABC News
Girls who dish to their friends about their problems may actually be increasing their misery by doing so.

The Marriage Is Over, but What About Fido?
- ABC News
"It does not come up frequently, but when it does, it's a big time issue," said Gary Skoloff, a New Jersey family law attorney and the former chairman of the family law section of the American Bar Association. "People are willing to litigate the custody of their pet to the end. It becomes almost like fighting over the custody of a child."

last updated July 19, 2007
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Making the most of "Dinner Dialogue"

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

One of the great ways to draw closer together as a family is to regularly eat dinner together. It has been shown that a great bi-product of family dinnertime is that the young people in these types of families consistently do better in school than children whose families don't eat dinner together. The primary reason is not what the family is eating, but what they are discussing while they eat. DinnerDialogue is a tool to help you direct the fun of dinner discussions and grow your children's intellectual, emotional, and spiritual quotient at the same time.

Many of our most favorite discourses by Jesus were done around the dinner table or the campfire. Jesus utilized this time to groom His disciples to be great thinkers. You can too!

You can start this discipline as soon as your children are able to talk. As you tailor the discussion to their age and abilities, you'll see a remarkable effect on your children's confidence, and, if you use DinnerDialogue properly, you can make eating dinner together as a family one of the great highlights of their day.

Here are some DO'S:

• Look over today's options and see which one fits best for your children. Keep in mind their age and maturity. You can also check out the Leftovers section. There is also a list of Side Orders you might want to look at. Although they don't have built in questions or scriptures, you may find them easy to turn into a riveting discussion.
• Summarize the article for your children (if it's short, you might want to read it to them), and make sure they understand the essence of the issues.
• Encourage all of your children (and dinner guests) to participate. This helps meet one of the driving inner needs that God has built into them-a need for significance. It also develops their ability to communicate, to defend their positions, and to think out loud.
• Make it a point to articulate the moral issues that are at the crux of each article. Don't be surprised if some of the moral dilemmas that you find in an article actually compete against each other. There are many crises that people face where they have colliding virtues. Assume that one family member may naturally align with one moral position while another aligns with the conflicting moral.
• Bring God's Word into the discussion. Let the authority of God's truth speak for itself in helping people formulate their conclusions about a particular issue.
• Take advantage of the Bible Study Tools to the right of every page. It can help you go deeper in finding other verses to shed light on the discussion.
• Have fun! Allow the dialogue to be lively. Whether it is serious or lighthearted, enjoy the time together.
• DinnerDialogue does not come on any specific day of the week. You can enter your email address in the box in the upper right hand side of this page to be notified when a new DinnerDialogue is posted.

Here are some DON'TS:

• Never let it turn into an argument. This is a time to show honor and respect for one another, even if one family member is struggling with some of the conclusions they are embracing.
• Avoid trying to manipulate a child's thinking. State your position, defend it, share God's Word on the matter, and then let the Holy Spirit work on everyone's heart. It's possible that a parent might actually be leaning in the wrong direction on a particular issue. Don't be afraid to admit that your children's insights on the matter may have been used by God to open your eyes on the issue.
• Never let anyone ridicule another person at the table. Someone might indeed be holding on to an indefensible or foolish position on an issue. Let intelligent discussion on the matter, and the power of God's Word, work on their position.
• Use DinnerDialogue it in a way that gets your children looking forward to it. You might want to designate certain nights as your DinnerDialogue nights.
• Avoid letting anyone turn it into a personal soapbox. This is a time to discuss, not a time to preach.

DinnerDialogue can be one of the great gifts you bring to your role as a parent grooming your children for greatness. Enjoy it!

"Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person." Colossians 4:6

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How do you define success for your child? “Graduates from a prestigious college.” “Nabs a high-paying job.” “Settles down with a nice family.” Sounds good. But what if you got it all wrong?

What about greatness? Where does it fit in? “If you aim your children at anything less than greatness, you’ll set them up to miss the whole point of their lives,” says author Tim Kimmel. In Raising Kids for True Greatness, Kimmel turns the definition of success on its head and guides you in preparing your child for a life that will easily eclipse the goals of those who are merely successful. More Info.