A Gold-Medal Way to Start the Day

As I watched the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics on television, I was inspired by the discipline and commitment of the world's greatest athletes. While these skiers, skaters and the like have professional trainers supporting them to do their best, we parents can be "coaches" for our families as we create our own goals for a healthy and active lifestyle.

First, declare that it's time to get into shape! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Have a gold-medal way to start the day. Just like the athletes, you can have your own morning "training table" in a snap with this tasty medley.

Why Did Jesus Say, "Don't Cast Your Pearls Before Swine"?

"Do not play with people who do stuff wrong and fight rough," says Jalen, 6. This is great advice to prolong your life on the playground, but where's the connection with pigs and pearls, Jalen?

One of the most troubling interpretations comes from Jacob, 6: "I would never give my sister my toy." Hold on there, Jacob! If you're using this verse to justify "hogging" your toys, it won't work.

Remember the three rules for interpreting the Bible or any text: context, context, context. Let's look at this verse in a slightly larger context: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces" (Matthew 7:6).

Here we have dogs, pearls, swine and someone being ripped to pieces. What's going on here?

As a world-renowned writer and social commentator, I've often stated that there are some notable differences between men and women. Thus far, no one has come forward to prove me wrong. Nor, frankly, has anyone thanked me for this observation, though I shudder to imagine what the world would be like if I hadn't pointed it out.

Let's suppose for a moment that a man and a woman, both single, come down with the flu on the same day, with the same symptoms. If they each kept a diary of their experiences, here's how it might look:

Woman: I ache all over, my stomach is queasy, I'm coughing and hacking. It was a struggle to get out of bed feeling so awful.

Man: Can't move.

Woman: OK. I called the office and told them I'd be working from home today. Took advantage of the situation to start a load of laundry. Finished the dishes. I hope I can manage a nap this afternoon. I feel rotten. Got started on e-mail.

Petition for Habeas Corpus filed on behalf of the teenage daughter, the "aggrieved party," to compel the father, the "meanest man in the whole world," to reverse his mandate of Cruel and Unusual Punishment, to wit: that the aggrieved party has to stay home and clean the garage when I promised I'd go with Whitney to the mall!

The basis for this petition, which is like an emergency because Whitney is coming to pick me up in half an hour and I need to get ready, is first of all it's against the Constitution. You can't just announce on a Saturday that all of a sudden I have to stay home and not be with my Best Friends because you get this idea that the garage needs to be cleaned out. That's like grounding the aggrieved party, which is a punishment, and you can't punish me for not doing anything wrong!

"When I see God, I will give him a big hug," says Whitney. "Then I will go say 'hi' to all the people in Bible times. Then I will ask him everything I ask my parents that they can't answer."

Whitney, I'm sure your parents will rejoice with you.

"I will fall down on my face and worship God," says Blain, 8. "Then I will go to see my dog in heaven. Next, I will go see my cousin."

If Blain's cousin is reading this column, please don't feel bad about waiting in line behind Blain's dog. It's amazing how many of my friends said they look forward to seeing their dogs in heaven. We can confidently say that God will fulfill the hearts of his people. If you need your dog to make your heavenly life complete, maybe God will give you a dog you'll never have to feed.

"I will go to see Jesus and ask him if you ever get to play in heaven. I love God," says Carson, 8.

About a year or so ago, my wife and I decided that we were probably doing our kids a disservice by letting them off so easy in life. We made a decision to assign each kid … a chore.

We've actually produced five children, but only three still live at home. Our two oldest boys took turns taking out the garbage when they lived at home. That may not seem like that much, but you have to understand that: 1) Our garbage cans are way out at the back of the house, in a big corral I built to hide them. 2) They're dented old plastic cans with no tops, snapped-off handles and holes in the bottom. 3) We have a vital and rabidly hungry population of raccoons.

By the time trash night comes around, our carefully tied bags have all been ripped open and picked through — and then left out in the sun to fester, a smorgasbord from hell. The boys had to take a deep breath when they first opened the wooden door of the trash shed (we called it the P-U Corral), holding their breath till they kicked each can to the curb.

You Didn't Lie, but You Broke the Rule

DR. WALLACE: Please hear my story, and then give me your reaction. I'm 14 and have a friend who is a good person, but my mother doesn't like her. So, I'm forbidden to hang around with her.

Last week, this girl called and asked me if I wanted to go roller-skating with her on a Saturday night. I asked my mom if I could go skating with a friend on Saturday night, and she said yes if I get home by 10:15 p.m. Well, I went skating with my friend and got home before 10:15 p.m., but I'm grounded for two months. When I was at the skating rink, my mom called my other two friends and was told that they hadn't seen me.

When I got home, my mom grilled me about my friend. When I told her it was Ellie, she blew her stack and grounded me for two months. Mom said if I continued to complain, she would make it three months.

That's why I'm writing to you. Maybe if you agree with me, mom might reduce my sentence. After all, I didn't lie. I was with a friend. — Jade, Erie, Pa.

What is the Lesson of Gideon and his 300-Man Army?

"Gideon used fire because the electricity ran out. God said blow the horns and crash real big, and he would give them electricity," says Weston, 4.

I'm sure Gideon and his band of 300 would be surprised to know they solved Israel's energy crisis in the late 11th century B.C. The problem in Gideon's day, however, was a spiritual energy crisis. God called the most unlikely man to lead a spiritual revival that began with the destruction of idols.

Dustin, 4, has another version of what we can learn from Gideon: "I learned you don't have to hit or fight. You just smash the jars and show the light. Then you win!"

Add 300 trumpets, and you've got the picture. God's battle plan for Gen. Gideon has to be one of the most unusual in all of military history. The only rival plans are the conquest of Jericho and the defeat of Pharaoh's army at the Red Sea.

Meet Six Needs and Bond for Life

Relationships make for a happy, fulfilling life or a miserable existence. So, why didn't our parents sit us down early on and teach us to do relationships well? If you think about their relationships, the answer might be painfully obvious.

There are few people doing relationships well. Some avoid the ugliness by repressing what's felt, controlling what's expressed and avoiding confrontation. Others live in an ongoing power struggle.

How can we be one of the few who enjoy fruitful and satisfying relationships — at home, work, the health club, everywhere?

One of the first things we have to do is give up the knee-jerk reaction to blame somebody else for our existing relationships. You decide how to respond to whatever is thrown at you; and in doing so, you determine to a large extent both the nature and the quality of your relationships. And I'm going to remember writing these words the next time I'm challenged!

What Will You Do When You See God? (Part 2 of 2)

"When I see God, he'll make a rainbow for me," says Ally, 5. "He's gonna show me how to make one. He's gonna sit down in the grass and eat an apple with me."

Ally's answer is more than cute. It could be insightful as well. Who knows the entire capabilities of a resurrected body or the assignments the Lord will give? We do know that Jesus suddenly appeared to his disciples in a room behind closed doors. He didn't bother to knock because he didn't open the door. Who's to say that Ally won't be the director of rainbow creations?

As for eating an apple with God, we know that Jesus cooked and ate a fish breakfast with his disciples on the seashore after his resurrection. Why couldn't he eat an apple with Ally?

"When I see God, I will hug him and let him pick me up, and he'll hug me back," says Kayla, 5. "We will all have the same germs in heaven, so I will kiss him on the cheek.

Perk Up Your Child on a Sick Day

If a flu or cold bug has invaded your house this winter, you know firsthand how the family routine is instantly thrown out of sync. All it takes is one sick child on a weekday morning, and the telephone is abuzz as you frantically rearrange work schedules and piano lessons, request homework assignments and try desperately to find the pediatrician's phone number.

But once the initial crisis has passed and your child starts perking up, it's nice to offer unqualified TLC to cheer him up. Here are some get-well ideas for recuperating kids:
--Misery loves company. Dress up and accessorize your child's favorite teddy bear using items that show he also is feeling under the weather: a compress on his forehead; a snuggly sweater to keep warm; a small, cuddly plush toy to hold in his paw; and a special book to read over and over.
--Serve snacks and simple meals to your child in a muffin tin. Place the juice cup and food items in the individual compartments for an easy-to-handle meal

Discover Winter Fun in Great Outdoors

When the forecast calls for rain, sleet, snow or frigid sub-zero temps like we've experienced lately in Minnesota, don't let old man winter keep you inside. Try something new with your kids that you'll never forget. Like ice fishing!

That's exactly what Meg Bertas, mom of 3-year-old Julian and 5-year-old Sylvie, decided to do a couple of weeks ago. Lured by a "Winter Kite Festival" on a frozen metro lake, they went out in the single-digit temps to be part of the scene. And what a winter wonderland it was! Pint-sized anglers tried their luck ice fishing for perch through a foot of ice drilled out for them by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the 20-foot-deep waters, scores of others flew spectacular, colorful kites into the sunny skies, while toddlers, who were bundled up from head to toe, grinned from ear to ear on their sleds as their parents pulled them across the bumpy snow.

"Hibernation isn't an option this time of year," said Meg as she patiently untangled her kids' fishing lines that were dangling in a 10-inch-wide hole in the ice.

Why did Jesus Drive the Money-Changers out of the Temple?

"We should praise God, sing and pray, and don't color on the walls, and don't sell anything," says Rachel, 5.

Coloring on the walls always got me in trouble, too, Rachel.

"The temple is a holy place, not a place to charge money to people who come there," says Melissa, 12. "We should not go into a holy place and charge people money because a church or temple is not a tax department."

"Jesus drove the money-changers out because he said, 'My house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves,'” says Kosse, 10. “God's action teaches me that if you are deceitful or use the church for the wrong reason, you will not be rewarded.”

During the various religious feasts in which thousands of Jews traveled to Jerusalem, authorities allowed money-changers and animal sellers inside the outer court of the temple.

Dear John: I hate the fact that my life has changed so drastically since my husband's affair three years ago. At 51 years of age, he had a midlife crisis. We've been married for 32 years. In order to win him back, I had to learn to party, smoke, dance, talk dirty and give up practicing my faith. And yet all this time, I still wish deeply he would evaluate our new lifestyle.

My own inclination is to keep up with him until he gets tired of it, although I still fear that it will lead to another affair, either for me or for him. If that happens, I will walk out at that point. Is this the right approach? — Giving As Good As I Get in Cartersville, Ga.

Dear Giving As Good As I Get: Nope, what you're doing is all wrong. When you discovered the affair, you should have told him that he was about to lose you. Instead, you changed in order to hold onto him — and in the process, you lost yourself.

Dear John: My husband "Jeff" and I have only been married for eight months. We met two years ago, and it was love at first sight. Everything between us is wonderful, except for one thing: Prior to meeting me, Jeff had just broken up with a woman; they had lived together for about four years. Everything about them was mismatched, and he claims that he was miserable the whole time he was with her. The breakup was so messy that he essentially left the home they owned together and didn't look back.

The problem is that she still calls him and e-mails him at work. He claims he doesn't respond to her. In fact — this is the hard part— he hasn't yet broken the news that he has married someone else!

Don't Force Kids to Eat Foods They Don't Like

DR. WALLACE: I like most vegetables, but there are a few I just don't care for, including carrots and peas. Every time my mother makes one of these vegetables for supper, my dad insists that I eat everything my mother heaps on my plate. When the vegetable is corn, tomatoes, beets, beans, cabbage or even broccoli, I eat them all, but I almost gag on peas or carrots.

Please give me your thoughts about teens having to eat everything on their plate. If you say they should, I'll stop complaining, hold my nose and consume foods I detest. But somehow I feel you will rule in my favor. — Nameless, Galesburg, Ill.

NAMELESS: Parents should introduce new foods to their children occasionally and ask them to try the new taste, but they should not force the children to finish something that they don't like. In that case, a parent is instilling a lifelong hatred of certain foods. Eating should be pleasurable, not painful. Rarely do adults eat foods they find distasteful.

It would be safe to say that the vast majority of parents would be thrilled with their teen's eating pattern if he or she would eat all the wonderful vegetables except peas and carrots!