This Week I Learned Our Children ‘Feel’ Even More Than We Realize

Weekly Lesson #001

Earlier this week our children’s elementary school went into lockdown. I don’t know all the details, but the pieces of the story that I’ve gathered suggest that a note was found in the boys bathroom claiming someone brought a weapon to school. When I was in elementary school — more than 25 years ago (yikes!) […]

Getting Unstuck: How One Piece of Gum Actually Saved My Day

Being hypocritical is not a requirement to become a parent, it’s more like a symptom of becoming one. Still, hypocrisy is one of my major pet peeves, so I try hard to avoid acting that way. It’s not always easy. I don’t think all people who act hypocritically do it on purpose. Not all the […]

10 Perspective-Shaping Reminders for all Imperfect Parents

Whether your child is two weeks old or two decades, by now you’ve probably realized something: you’re not perfect. No parent is. I know it may seem like some are. But remember this: that house you’re visiting — you know, the one that’s immaculate and without a single toy or loose item strewn about — […]

It’s Like Riding a Bike, Eventually

Fast results. Quick responses. Minimal effort. We want everything to happen sooner than right now. We latch onto overnight successes and laud their “sudden achievement” rather than acknowledge their climb up the dark side of the mountain. We fail to recognize the momentum that swings them into our awareness during their moment of glory. It […]

Spoiling vs. Rewarding: The Time I Toed The Line

The basic nature of parenting is that we want to give our children better than we had. Whether it’s financial, emotional, physical or anything else, we want their lives to be better than ours. No matter how fantastic our childhood, we’re always trying to make things better for them. Usually that is a very noble […]

4 Things I Learned From Joe Biden’s “Note to Self”

Joe Biden's Note to Self

A few days ago CBS News published a story on Vice President Joe Biden. I’m not especially prone to an interest in politics, so I don’t know a whole lot about specifics of his accomplishments in office. From my non-political position, I consider Biden’s greatest contribution to be his empathetic nature. He exudes such a […]

Hey Mom and Dad…Keep it Up, It’s Working!

Your parenting efforts are working. Keep it up!

If you’re anything like me, you have regular conversations with the wall. Three-foot high walls that poop. It’s so hard to tell if what you’re saying is getting through to them, that sometimes you wonder why do I bother? Where is the evidence of parenting success in my daily life? Is parenting an exercise in […]