Daily Thoughts
The Journey of Friendships
If I had to pinpoint one of the hardest years of my teenage life, it would definitely have to be my Freshman year of high school. I was 14 and I had a “best” friend who influenced me in ways that were neither good nor healthy. In other words, that was the year I made...
Steady As She Goes
If I have learned anything in my almost 18 years as a parent, it’s that the best and most important thing I can do in any circumstance is to maintain my control because it’s the only control I have at any given moment. Obviously, I cannot influence situations or...
Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Bit of Fun
Recently, because of a shift in our appointment schedule, our days opened up to allow us an opportunity for our youngest teenager to do some volunteering at the church where my husband serves as the Director of Traditional Music. Our church hosts a local program once...
Sometimes We Fall
Even if the path ahead looks straight and smooth, without obstacles or stumbling blocks, don’t be fooled—you may yet still trip over an ill-placed speed bump and find yourself sprawled out on the pavement more quickly than you can say, look out or watch that. That’s...
I Won’t Let That Slide
There are some phrases around parenting that I don’t understand and definitely do not subscribe to, mainly because I don’t see how they can possibly strengthen the relationship we want with our teenagers (or say we want or lament we don’t have with our teenagers). The...
Stories I Would Love to Read
As a writer, one of the pieces of advice that gets bandied about when considering what to write is write what you know, but the bigger idea that plays in my mind and that I’ve read and heard quite as often is to write the book you want to read. Isn’t that fantastic...
The Real Life
Writing today’s post reminded me that sometimes the day is about how real life takes precedence over what I write here. As the day came to a close, my oldest asked me if my post was up (as she tends to do each day), and I told her it was not. I went on to explain that...
Speaking Their Language
Have you ever noticed that when we talk to a cute animal, whether a dog, cat, or other adorably-faced critter, our voices tend to go higher than normal? Or maybe that’s just me and my teenagers. Still, I have noticed that when we talk to an infant, we also tend to...
The Whispers of Wisdom
There is little I enjoy more these days than the opportunity to learn alongside my teenagers. As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite days is library day, when our family gets in the car and enjoys a bit of a drive along the local back roads to the bigger of the...