All that friendly advice starts the minute folks discover you’re expecting a baby. I’m more than two decades into this journey, and people still share opinions about how I should parent. “When you're pregnant, people feel like they can come up and give you unsolicited advice. When I was nine months pregnant, this one woman came up and she said, I have one word for you: epidural. And I was like, Oh my God, thanks. But we … [Read more...]
Live With Integrity
Living with integrity means consistently operating within one's own value system. Simple, eh? Not so much. The big things are obvious. Keep your promises, hold to your vows, and set priorities accordingly. But then, life and all its pesky annoyances start to wear us down. Eventually, all parents hear something like this: “But, mom you promised.” “Yes, but…” … [Read more...]
Honor Failure
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” — Winston Churchill When we see success we admire its perfection. We applaud the magic of actors, athletes, writers, musicians, and others who make it all look so easy. But, here’s the deal. Very rarely does anyone succeed without boatloads of failure along the way. … [Read more...]
Embrace the Light
Recently, I had a friend tell me my son is absolutely wonderful. Don’t worry, this isn’t going to be a “humble brag” post. It is, instead, a reminder to me and you to embrace the light within our children. If we are to embrace the greatness in our kids, we first have to recognize it. … [Read more...]
Parenting Life Episode 1: Alex’s Take on How to Raise Independent Kids
Alex is my outgoing 23-year-old daughter. If anyone knows anything about our parenting style, it’s our own kids. You should know that Alex has never been shy, nor does she hold her opinions close. If anything, she’s learning to temper her emotionality with thoughtful reasoning. Since Alex was little, she has studied people. She watches, thinks, and works to figure out what makes people tick. Her dad and I were not … [Read more...]
My Comeback Girl and Her Heroes
For weeks after the accident, maybe months, Alex had two goals. She was determined to get back for the final month of her Co-op (a sixth month, full-time internship incorporated into her degree program) and hopeful to once again play rugby. Neither goal happened. She and I were working to put her life back together in Philadelphia just weeks following the car accident that nearly took her life. Recovering from 10 broken … [Read more...]
Motherhood: The Pressure to be Perfect
I’m a recovering perfectionist. In fact, during job interviews, I used to claim perfectionism as my biggest weakness because I believed it to be more a medal of honor. As a mother, perfectionism is a really high bar to set for oneself. My husband has always said God gave us children to humble us. He is right about this, just don’t tell him; I’ve convinced him I’m always the right one in the family. … [Read more...]
What Teachers Need Most
"Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another." ~ G. K. Chesterton Before I was a teacher, I thought I knew what it was like to be a teacher. In some ways I did. … [Read more...]
What Do Kids Really Need?
The 2000s brought a strange phenomenon of children’s sports teams giving everyone a trophy, regardless of participation level or winning record. Criticism of this practice is widespread. We folks in the United States value hard work. Many of us believe all good things should be earned. … [Read more...]
All That Matters is How We Love
Parenting love, just like other forms of love, is hard to describe. When a baby is born the world stops, if even only for a moment. We marvel at the tiny toes and softness of baby skin. Our love for tiny humans bubbles over just because of the miracle who is completely dependent on us. … [Read more...]