Rabbi Shmuley rocks!
When Rabbi Shmuley Boteach befriended Michael Jackson a few years ago, I figured he was seeking publicity or was just too weird for my tastes.
But he has since ended the friendship and published 18 books on how to maintain healthy families. He also hosts the TLC show, "Shalom in the Home," and is about to start a radio show on XM's Oprah and Friends network. I covered his talk in West Palm Beach for the Sun-Sentinel yesterday.
Although he has said some weird things over the years, I thought his comments on Tuesday were sound and logical. He said kids need "quantity time," not quality time. Here are some other thought-provoking things he said.
1. Do not ever yell at your kids.
2. Love your kids for who they are, not what they do or don't do.
3. Never talk to your kids about grades or make them feel they must perform to be loved.
4. If you've hurt your children, apologize.
5. Never fight with your spouse in front of your kids.
Some of these items are almost impossible (How can we not encourage our kids to get good grades? How can we not have disagreements in front of the kids?) but I did see the value in having it as a goal.
Are you a Shmuley groupie?
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