Journals
One thing that has worked well for me to keep communication lines open with my younger kids is give them all a journal for them to keep by their beds. Through this approach, they can write about the things that they are having a hard time saying. Sometimes when they are angry that is a good place for them to blow off steam before we chat about it. Hypothetically speaking, a child might draw a picture of me with a beard or write about how I sent the wrong kid to time out because it was...
Read MoreLetting 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 MoreSix in a Row
There are times in my life when I’ve been disappointed, not destroyed, not beaten, just disappointed. I’m ashamed to admit it but a few of those times have been at the ultra sounds of our children. We had a girl first and then a few boys to follow, six to be exact. When we found out I was expecting our seventh child, I told Ken I didn’t want to find to the gender. I hated that feeling of disappointment at the ultra sound and just wanted to be surprised. The whole time I was pregnant I...
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