Tag: Parenting
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The Bedrooms Tell the Passing of Time
My times are in your hands. Psalm 31:15 Mama, will you sleep with me? This request came from my 15-year old and sometimes is even asked by my 17-year olds. I said “yes” and I woke up to this :):As I laid quietly, listening to the breathing of my girls,…
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Mom Is Breaking The Rules?
I’ve often proclaimed that I am a rule follower. I like rules. They work for my inner cautious child who craves order. “Grey areas” make me uncomfortable and delay my decision making ability. I tend to endlessly ponder the “what ifs” and “if not, then what?” Then, I question the…
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Moms Influence Other Kids Too – Not Just Their Own
Shuffling into my kitchen with a pile of groceries, I was surprised to find my daughter’s friend standing by the counter after school. I smiled at her, breathless from dragging in the bags. “Hi! It’s nice to see you! But, I thought you were grounded…?” “Oh, I am. Just not…
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The Boston Marathon Bombing
As today marks the anniversary of last year’s tragedy in Boston, I am re-posting what I wrote last year in response. After contemplating the horror of what happened, my youngest daughter came to the frightening realization that everyone is capable of evil. Boston. Last year on September 11th, my 14-year old daughter…
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I Didn’t Want to Leave Church on Sunday
I especially didn’t want worship to end. As is often true for believers, sometimes the hardest weeks end in the most intimate worship. It is something inexplicable to those who don’t know Christ. Praising an invisible God despite disturbing news and years of seemingly unanswered prayers. Those kinds of hard…
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I Can’t Be All Things To My Kids
Gulp. I said it. Once upon a time, I really believed I was all things to my kids. That is probably normal for young Moms with small children. Or, maybe I was just an egomaniac, but I’m going with the fact that I was young and inexperienced. I hadn’t yet…
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Is It Really All “Small” Stuff?
In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s when the “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: And It’s All Small Stuff” books were at the height of their popularity, I would read the title and wonder, “What about the Mom of twins who just found out that she has stage 4 cancer?…
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Shhh…I’ve Been Doing “Nothing”!
My husband and I are both “A-” personalities. I know a few true type A’s, and while I admire their daily sanitized and shining kitchen floors, that’s not happening in my house! Therefore, I’m an A- to a B+ on most days. I share this to illustrate the truth that…
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The (Un) Enthusiastic Mom
Ten years ago I had a quote on my cork board in my home office. It read: “Be the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.” One of my friends spotted it one day and laughed, “That’s you alright.” At the time, I was also reading the book, The Power…
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The Ducks Will Follow
Walking through my favorite local park, I stopped to watch a Mama duck cross my path with her four offspring. The waddling brood weren’t babies and they weren’t fully grown, so I immediately identified them as “teenage” ducks. Three of them followed the Mama in a perfectly straight line, stopping…
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Paying for Other’s Bad Behavior Is Making Me a Little Cranky
Now in my mid 40’s, I’ve officially experienced enough of life where paying (in time or money) for other people’s bad behavior, no-show tendencies, and last-minute procrastination is making me cranky. Over my adult life, when I or my kids have received unfair treatment, I’ve definitely handled it firmly, but…
Tales from a Mid-Lifer 