Senior Pictures Becoming Big Business
- Statesman
"Our average sale for a senior is $1,200 to $1,500, but some parents have spent up to $5,000," Meyer said.

Study Claims Moms Mimic Daughters in Fashion
- CNN
"We live in a society that one of the main values is to look younger," Ruvio said. "Most of these women have kids, work and they don't have time to monitor the market and see what is cool and hip, so they basically take a shortcut. Through their teenage daughters, they know they're safe."

New York: Sex Ed Becomes Mandatory
- Fox News
It’s the first time in nearly two decades that middle and high school students will be forced to take the mandatory classes, according to a report first published in The New York Times.

A nation in mourning for Navy SEAL Team 6
- Washington Examiner
As the nation mourns its loss, just as it has the losses of 10 years of a war it did not choose and which it cannot avoid, the greatest thing that civilians can do is remember that their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren are what they are because of warriors flying through mountain passes half a world away

10 Hidden Benefits of Having Children
- Fox News
Come along as we explore the top 10 hidden benefits of having children. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/08/05/10-hidden-benefits-having-children/#ixzz1USLudd6r

“Heroes” Sue Rescued Woman
- AP
Two Ohio men honored as heroes for their actions after a 2009 car crash are now suing the woman they rescued from a burning vehicle.

last updated October 6, 2011
Click here for more Side Orders

DinnerDialogue.com is a free service of Family Matters. Its purpose is to bring deeper and more open discussions to your family using news that opens up topics on moral, ethical and spiritual issues. Please look at How To Use This Site for great tips and some do's and don'ts for dialoguing with your family.

June. 06, 2011

Found Money
- WFAA Fort Worth

Finding a folded ten dollar bill in your jacket pocket from last winter is an exciting surprise. Finding a $10 on the sidewalk is even better.  Sure, it's too bad for the poor soul who lost it, but surely they won't miss it too bad, and you've got $10 you're free to squander.  Ashley Donaldson, on the other hand, found $2000 in a bulging envelope near her North Dallas home. Her  decision was to take it to the nearby Chase bank (whose logo appeared on the found money's envelope).  She said that she would feel to guilty about keeping the money without first trying to find it's true owner.  "This could be someone else's life, this could be someone's home," the fifteen year-old said.

• If  you found $100 in the street what would be your reaction?
• Would you feel any responsibility to find the owner? Would you feel any guilt about spending the money?
• What if it was $500? $2000?
• What amount of money would be too much for you to keep without making an effort to find the original owner?

The ideal ending to the story has Ashley waiting patiently for three months, then receiving a call from the police saying that she could go to the bank and pick up the unclaimed money.  She would use it to buy a little junker car that she'd drive the rest of her high school years; a testament that honesty is rewarded (after all, that's exactly what Ashley was told would happen when she turned the money in.) The actual ending is this: after three months unclaimed, due to recent changes in policy, the money was added to the City of Dallas' general fund.  "We appreciate your honest." a spokesman said. "I wish she didn't find it in the first place," her father said, "because it certainly didn't teach her the right thing."

• Was Ashley's father right? Was the lesson taught in this situation actually a negative one, that honesty isn't rewarded?
• A poll taken at the news station website that reported the story showed more than 99% of respondents thought that Ashley should have gotten the money.  Can you make an argument for the city keeping the money?
• Do you think, as a general rule that honesty is rewarded?

Proverbs 21:3 says that "to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice."

• The bank, the police and Ashley's parents we're all proud of her decision to turn in the money.  Doing so was a "good" thing, but was it the "right" thing?  Would she have been wrong to keep the money?
• "Justice" is acceptable to God; what would justice have been in this situation?

In Philippians Paul tell us the kinds of things that we should set our mind on (4:8), including that which is "noble", "right" and "admirable.

• Is there a sense that doing the right thing is its own reward?  How would you try and encourage a teenager who just missed out on two thousand dollars, that there is value in doing the right thing?

[photo "standing there finding money" courtesy of zen on flicker]

Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wrestling with gender issues, and integrity.

Thursday, December 16, 2010
Most prefer "Merry Christmas" to "Happy Holidays"

Wednesday - June 23, 2010
Looking for work? Unemployed need not apply

Friday - June 18, 2010
Woman Follows Google Maps “Walking” Directions, Gets Hit, Sues

Thursday - June 10, 2010
'Returnaholics' cost retailers billions of dollars a year

Thursday - May 20, 2010
Where's the sportsmanship? Girl disqualified for wearing bracelet

Raising Kids For True Greatness

You want only the best for your kids. And you want them to be successful. Sure, there's nothing wrong with that. But what if there was something more? Could your definition of success be leaving out the most important part?

If you found an article worthy of being listed here submit the URL with your questions.

NOTE: Not all requests will be listed on this page. No response will be given as to whether your request will be used or not.

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.