One of a parent’s worst parenting challenges is when your child throws a temper tantrum. I remember back to one of my boys at the age of four in the middle of the hallway of our home completely pitching a fit. He was crying, screaming, flaring his arms and body about, and pounding the floor. […]
Sometimes the things which keep us up at night and challenge us the most turn out to be the most rewarding. When my daughter, Monica, was born I felt a sense of overwhelming emotions. But the overriding feeling was fear. Fear I would mess her up. Fear I would make mistakes. Fear I would ruin […]
If you searched the whole planet, I doubt you’d find anyone wiser or kinder or more enjoyable than Dr. Jim Burns. Every word out of his mouth pours wisdom. I couldn’t be more thrilled about his new book “Have Serious Fun.” He’s been a thought leader and family advocate for decades and I am so […]
I witnessed something peculiar the other day. My grandson was playing outside, and I was watching him ride his bike. I noticed a teenage girl who looked to be about fifteen or sixteen. She walked down the street and stopped and was on her phone texting. I said hello and ask if she were waiting […]
I’ve heard many sad stories of adult children who ceased to have a relationship with their parents. “My kids don’t talk to me.” “After the divorce my kids sided with their mother.” “I haven’t seen my daughter for over two years.” “I stopped by my son’s house to drop off a gift for my grandson’s […]
What’s your truth? My truth is I’ve struggled a lot through life. I’m a recovering bulimic, codependent, obsessed mom, people-pleaser, over-eater, and over-dieter. After living in bondage I learned how to live in grace. It’s an ongoing process. One thing I know for certain is that life is better being a grace-spreader instead of a […]
“Lord, please give me the strength and wisdom to get through today. Please Lord, I need energy—I’m not asking for extra—just enough to do everything I need to today.” Many days started like that, but on this particular day it was not one of those parenting days, in fact, all was well—superb even. My day […]
Enjoy today’s guest post… Andy Earle is a researcher who studies parent-teen communication and adolescent risk behaviors. He is the co-founder of talkingtoteens.com and host of the Talking to Teens podcast, a free weekly talk show for parents of teenagers. As an extraverted parent, it can be a bummer when trying to engage with your […]
I accompanied my daughter to my little grand-baby’s Mommy & Me swim class. At the end of class, which took place in conjunction with older kids classes, as Monica and Jacob were drying off we overheard a mom talking to one of the swim instructors. Concerned Mom: “Well…um…you see…since his vision is impaired it is […]
Recently, my husband and I spoke at a conference for parents of teens. Being a parent is no easy mission. Parenting is hard—the hardest job I’ve ever done. And when you have a teenager, it’s like parenting on steroids. At this conference, we asked the parents to write out questions they had. One common question […]
