Helping Families Find Freedom
I’ve noticed on a couple different web sites recently that moms are beginning to fret about Christmas presents for their kids. One worried mom posted, “Any ideas for Christmas presents for my two year old? I’m really struggling.” Really? Two is the age where a child thinks that pooping in the tub, shredding napkins, and read more…
“Say ‘I’m sorry” or I won’t play Spiderman with you tonight.” I overheard this statement yesterday from a father to his five year-old son. Perhaps this sounds like a perfectly healthy way to get a child to do something that he doesn’t want to do. Or perhaps it doesn’t sound quite right to you. Certainly read more…
Hi tween or teen! I get it. Chances are you’re reading this, but it’s not something that you really want to do. I’m sure you’d rather be unloading the dishwasher or folding the laundry, but I’m happy that you are at least giving this blog a chance. I wrote it to help kids like you not read more…
I gave a talk this morning at a mom’s group about sibling rivalry, and I realized that EVERY talk I give no matter what parenting topic it is, always includes a few thoughts on the role of television in the home. Even my marriage talk has comments about TV time. In order to empower parents in these read more…
Perhaps the greatest change in my parenting from first child to last child was the power that kids’ tears and tantrums had over my life. As a new mom, I was afraid of Michael’s emotions. Literally afraid. If he whimpered, cried, or pitched a fit, I snapped to attention, trying to address whatever issue he had. read more…
As soon as my first-born was old enough to toddle, people began asking what sports we planned on signing Michael up for. Because Bryan was born only 16 months after Michael, I didn’t even consider signing him up–not because I had a huge objection, but simply because it seemed like it would be read more…
Lately, I have been wanting to scream from a mountaintop to all the parents in the world, “Stop letting social media suck the joy out of your parenting!” Daily, I hear the insecurity in the voices of young moms who tentatively ask, “Am I a bad mom if…” I see dads screaming at 5-year-olds on read more…
After snapping the obligatory school photo of Michael this morning on the front porch, I suddenly realized–that’s the LAST picture. Ever. Thirteen pictures and my innocent six year old, who I was afraid would hear bad language on the dreaded school bus, is now literally an adult who drives himself to school. Seriously, that’s what happened to me–13 pictures read more…
I had all the boy’s physicals this month. It reminded me of this post from a few years ago. We were ready THIS year. Summer 2011 Yesterday Matthew (9) and Christopher (11) had their annual physicals. It has been awhile since we have had one for any of the boys so I had forgotten the read more…
I think the biggest reason that we have trouble saying “no” to our kids is because we are afraid of their reaction or because we don’t want to hurt them. But what if we KNEW that we weren’t hurting them and were actually helping them learn to be content and grateful for what they read more…
