For the first evening in more than a week, the entire family is at the table. Mom, dad, teenage Bradley and tween Susie have all just sat down. Dad smiles to himself and silently vows that the family just has to find a way to do this more often.

After a long overdue blessing is given, mom and dad begin to enjoy the family conversation. All is well until Susie's cell interrupts the family chat room. Dad swallows his reprimand and thinks to himself, well, it's just one interruption. No big deal. Susie's hands leave her fork and napkin and disappear under the table. Her occasional mumbling of "uh huh, mmm, uh huh" is in harmony with the taptaptap, taptap, taptaptaptap of her cell as she magically punches the tiny keyboard with more ease than Tiger Woods sinking a three-foot putt.

As I was growing up in a rural community, spending time with grandparents was a greater blessing than I then realized. Warm memories of quality times give me a sense that much of who I am today was influenced by these dear seniors.

I grew up in a different culture than my own two daughters. Perhaps a simpler lifestyle was the order of the day. My grandparents and their peers, though facing many problems of their own, had one thing in common. They were content with life.

Yes, I watch American Idol. My dear wife, Julia is a big fan, and now that we live in a mostly empty nest, I have put some thought into this.

It just wouldn't be right for me to find something else to do, while she is curled up on the couch with puppy in her lap, eyes glued to FOX TV. I say mostly empty nest because my wife and two darling daughters all have cells in hand during Idol, and man can they text. A veteran stenographer would be proud.

With all of the neat techie communications these days, it's so easy to keep in touch. We live in a wireless world, and as much as I love the convenience, I often miss the simpler times.

I mean, there are advantages to having folks together in the same room, breathing the same air and actually looking eye to eye without the aid of video cams synchronized together through cyberspace. Perhaps I miss good ol' face time.

A predominant theme enters my inbox as I continue to receive mail from readers. Parents with young children are fighting the same battles over the same unwanted behaviors. They may be dealing with hitting, tattling, lying, whining, or back talking. This isn't an all-inclusive list, but I think you get the picture.

I'm often asked if I know of any little tricks or special insights that will help eliminate a particular misbehavior. Though occasional specific strategies may help with certain undesired behaviors, the big picture is that parents must have the correct mindset. Allow me to illustrate. Let's say you have a "top secret" room in your house that is totally off limits to your kids. This room represents any misbehavior from your child. It could be the hitting my little sister room, the whining room, the not sharing room, etc... Because mom or dad can't stand guard to the door of this room 24/7, they must implement some other tactics.

With all the joys and excitement that March Madness brings to millions of basketball fans, folks can't help but be reminded of spring cleaning this time of year. The No. 1 task for many folks is to clean out the garage. Today, let's explore how you can do some family spring cleaning as well.

First, check out all of the clutter. Your garage barely has enough room to park your cars, and it's all you can do to keep from breaking your neck when you stumble toward the door. Why is it, then, that we don't just throw most of such junk out? It's because we're used to it, and it would require a proactive stance to make a change. Add to that the fear that maybe, just maybe during that one blue moon you will actually use whatever it is. It's the same with your family routine.

Our older daughter, Becca, is in the midst of her student teaching and enjoying every moment of it. She is now in charge of her first grade classroom from the morning bell until time for daily dismissal. It has its headaches, but for the most part it's a real joy.

Then there's the humor. Having 20-plus first grade kids together day after day is going to bring about some interesting stories. As Becca and her mentoring teacher were discussing this, her mentor gave some sound advice. Each year when she has her parents together for the first open house, she tells them about her exciting plans for the students. Then she tells the parents, "By the way, I'll make a deal with all of you. If you won't believe everything your child tells you about me here at school, I won't believe everything he or she tells me about you at home!"

Our older daughter, Becca, is in the midst of her student teaching and enjoying every moment of it. She is now in charge of her first grade classroom from the morning bell until time for daily dismissal. It has its headaches, but for the most part it's a real joy.

Then there's the humor. Having 20-plus first grade kids together day after day is going to bring about some interesting stories. As Becca and her mentoring teacher were discussing this, her mentor gave some sound advice. Each year when she has her parents together for the first open house, she tells them about her exciting plans for the students. Then she tells the parents, "By the way, I'll make a deal with all of you. If you won't believe everything your child tells you about me here at school, I won't believe everything he or she tells me about you at home!"