Letting Go
The journey from the cradle to college is almost over for my first born. It hit me with fresh awareness as we visited her future college and when the bill was presented to be signed it was her signature that they requested, not mine. This year was filled with college applications, senior activities and a plethora of “lasts”, all leading to the hardest part of my job: letting go. From the time my babies were placed in my arms I knew that this day was coming, hanging...
Read MoreThe Art of Saying No
My daughter turned 16 years old this year, and I was faced with the worst part of parenting so far, teaching your child to drive. I was blindsided by how much I would hate it. At first, I thought of the new found freedom we would have from not having to drive her to all her events. But the second she got in the driver’s seat, the freedom of carpooling was the last thing on my mind. It’s terrifying. Then all I could think about was that I have to do this six more times. This got me...
Read MoreYou Won
One the best parts of being a parent is seeing the newness of the world through the eyes of your child as he experiences things for the first time. The coldness of snow, the sight of a plane in the sky, the sound of the ocean waves, the taste of a cookie, and the look of wonder in your child’s eyes at the marvels of this world. Obviously, as our children grow, the things they discover change. For us, since we have a baby and teenagers, we are discovering more than the simple joys of sugar;...
Read MoreHoly Song Wars
We have 6 children so driving anywhere is interesting: “Mom, So-in-so is touching me.” “Okay, well move over.” “Mom, So-in-so is annoying.” “Honey, we are all annoying in some way, deal with it.” “Mom, So-in-so is LOOKING at me.” “Okay, well look away.” My children think that driving our giant conversion van (that we refer to as Relaxi-taxi) isn’t much of a job. I’m apparently bored and would love to referee the back seats. One topic that has come up more than once is singing. Some in my...
Read MoreToo Safe to Live Free
Too Safe to Live Free To fully understand where I am going on this issue you may want to read my previous blog “Living Free”. I admit I’ve never been much of a rule follower. It’s gotten me into my fair share of trouble through the years. Now that I am raising children of my own, I try to do my best to be a law abiding citizen; however some of the recent laws being forced upon us are stirring up my rebellious nature. Ronald Reagan said it well, “Man is not free unless government is limited.”...
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