Yesterday after an all-day 4H Cloverbud dude ranch experience, Megan said, “Mom, I am now totally interested in horses.” _____ This morning, Timmy crawled in bed with us at 6 a.m. He slid in between us and pulled up the covers. Tim: Mom? (I pretended I was asleep) Dad? Eric: What, bud? Tim: Was...
Category: Parenting
Parenting Process
What I learned in June #1: I have to encourage my children to focus on the process, not the end goal. It sounds so simple, but it’s not. Not really. Because, if I’m honest, I do not encourage my kids to focus on the process; what they mostly hear from me is that the...
The 4-Step Apology
Making an apology isn’t easy, but it’s important. It’s how we maintain our connection to those we love. But, as with anything worth doing, there is a right way (and a wrong way) to do it. Two Problems In my house, apologies usually sound like one child stage-whispering “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry”...
Skylanders, or The Ordinary Face of Humility
Tim’s favorite game these days is simply called Skylanders. It’s is a game of pretend that he loves with all his heart … and which I despise. Of course, I am not opposed to pretend. I used to play pretend by the hour, alone on my swing in my parents’ backyard. But the key...
Nine Years Old
My twins are 9 today. Alex is creative and logical and wants to be a firefighter and a video game designer on his days off. He has an awesome sense of humor; he gets why puns are funny. He still loves his scruffy puppy, and his best friend is Dalton. He’s a pretty awesome...