May 27, 2023

There is Nothing Permanent Except Change

You’ve heard the quote from the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Well then, how can we better understand change within the systems we find ourselves a member? Our systems are environments such as our work places, churches, governments and most importantly…our family. This topic is a question that prompted Kurt Lewin, […]

Meaning and Memories

It’s been about eight months since the last “From Grampy’s Rocker” blog. I guess you could say I’ve been “off my rocker” since then.  Well, I’m back on my rocker and am ready to talk some “Grampy smack.” Lately, I’ve been thinking about meaning and memories and how they’re related to what I do 24/7. […]

The Opposites Principle

Reverse every natural instinct and do the opposite of what you are inclined to do, and you will probably come very close to having a perfect golf swing. ~Ben Hogan   The “Opposites Principle” is the commonsense name for the more formal “Bipolarity Principle.” It states that every proposition must be capable of being both […]

Living the Good Life

Living the good life is a process, not a state of being―says the late psychologist Carl Rogers. In other words, human existence is less a journey to a specific destination and more of an ongoing process of growing and discovering that never ends. His view is that to enjoy the good life, we must embrace […]

Paradox in Autonomy

There is paradox in autonomy. On the one hand, our children need to develop autonomy if they are to learn how to make good and adaptive decisions, by and for themselves. The paradox, however, is that this requires parents to extend to them the freedom to choose. Ouch! That seems to complicate our life and […]

We are Family

“We Are Family.” By the way, what is that supposed to mean? Let’s take a look at what Virginia Satir (1916-1988), also known as the “mother of family therapy,” thought about that question. Her research and writings suggested the following model: We learn to react in certain ways to our family members. These reactions condition […]

Becoming a Power Parent and The Power Parent Hour

Occasionally, I’ll post information about upcoming events. Two such events are: The release of my new book―Becoming a Power Parent: Seven Guiding Principles for Creating a Healthy Family (available the first part of November) ―and a new Radio Show―”The Power Parent Hour” which will debut on September 14, 2012 at 4:00 P.M. EDT. It will […]