The Good Life – May-June 2023
On the cover – Featured in this issue is an interview with District Court Judge Johnathan Judd. Also in this issue: Dad Life on the Topic of Discipline, Drekker’s Super Mega Expansion, Hip-Hop and Hope, Having A Beer with KVRR’s Chief Meteorologist Max Mueller and more!
On the cover – Featured in this issue is an interview with District Court Judge Johnathan Judd.
Also in this issue: Dad Life on the Topic of Discipline, Drekker’s Super Mega Expansion, Hip-Hop and Hope, Having A Beer with KVRR’s Chief Meteorologist Max Mueller and more!
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DAD LIFE<br />
I Love You,<br />
but You’re Grounded<br />
WRITTEN BY: PAUL HANKEL<br />
As a parent, especially a dad, one of your most important<br />
duties is to properly ground your children when they<br />
misbehave. I am definitely from the, “spare the rod, spoil<br />
the child,” era. However, with the many advances within<br />
the realm of parenting during the last few decades, I<br />
think it’s important to constantly seek input and have an<br />
open mind. Especially when confronted with the topic of<br />
discipline.<br />
Grounding can be a tricky business, and if you're not<br />
careful, you could end up causing more harm than good.<br />
So, to help you out, here are some humorous (I hope) tips<br />
on how to properly ground your children, from the world’s<br />
okayest dad.<br />
Explain Why.<br />
First and foremost, make sure your child knows exactly<br />
why they're being grounded. Don't just say "because I said<br />
so." Early on, I was guilty of this. I call it, the “I wear the<br />
pants,” syndrome. Instead, you owe them an explanation<br />
of what they did wrong and why it's not okay. If they still<br />
2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com<br />
don't get it. Will it drive you nuts when they keep asking,<br />
“but why”? Absolutely. But you owe it to the mini version<br />
of yourself to explain what they did wrong so that they<br />
have the opportunity to grow and correct their behavior.<br />
Grounding is Temporary. Parenting is Forever.<br />
When it comes to choosing the duration of the grounding,<br />
think carefully. You don't want to make it too short,<br />
because then it won't have much of an impact. But you<br />
also don't want to make it too long, because then your<br />
child might start to think they're actually in prison. A good<br />
rule of thumb is to base the length of the grounding on the<br />
severity of the offense. For example: backtalk me once - I<br />
appreciate your spirit! You’ll make a great lawyer one day!<br />
But, continuing to backtalk me is a sign of disrespect and<br />
necessitates an appropriate consequence.<br />
Explain the Rules.<br />
Make sure your child understands the rules of their<br />
grounding. Can they still use electronics? Can they go<br />
outside? Can they have friends over? If you're not clear
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