Mom and Dad, It’s Not All About You

  “How did you know you could go home and your parents wouldn’t say, ‘I told you so?’”, I asked my dear, thirtyish friend. My friend had been the proverbial wild child during her graduate school years. Her relationship with her parents during that time was almost nonexistent due to […]

Read More...

Loving Our Kids at Their Messiest

  Two weddings and a baby! Yes, our family is having a big year. Our oldest and youngest daughters are getting married within 5 months of each other and our middle daughter and son-in-law are expecting their first child in August. One of the weddings will be in our backyard, […]

Read More...

Be the Calm, Sane Parent

I first posted this blog in the summer of 2013. It is a topic for which I need continual encouragement. No matter the age of our kids we cannot ride their emotional roller coasters. Rereading this blog challenged to be the mom my kids need. I pray it will challenge […]

Read More...

Being the Parent that Stays Relevant in Your Kid’s Life

   At the beginning of a parent’s journey with the child making decisions they don’t agree with, parents want to believe that in a reasonable amount of time their child will return to “normal” and life will be good again. When that doesn’t happen, parents can lose hope and revert […]

Read More...

Perspective and Help when Your Kid is Stuck

  My phone has been “blowing up” recently (cool talk for ringing a lot). My girls are in the midst of major life transitions. They usually don’t call every day or sometimes every week, but lately they are in need of a little mom-perspective. But way-back-when in Katie’s prodigal days […]

Read More...

Being the Mom of (almost) Grown Kids

I shared this story with a group I’m part of on Facebook. We’re a group of moms whose kids are venturing out into the world—maybe for the first time, maybe forever leaving the nest, or maybe circling back home after a time away. This story resonated with them and I […]

Read More...

Encouragement and Help for Your Parenting-Style Mistakes

  I’d like to think at some point in my life I will no longer struggle with the temptation to eat more calories than I burn in a day. However, I love food and the sooner I realize this will always be a weak spot for me the better I […]

Read More...

Confidence to Do What God Calls You to Do

  Picture courtesy USAToday Sports.  “Confidence to do what You are calling her to do.” I prayed this phrase for one of my daughter’s today. She has been given an amazing opportunity that comes with much responsibility. The nature of the opportunity could easily convince her she is not capable […]

Read More...

Growing Responsible Kids

  Photo from:https://www.etsy.com/shop/shopcocoprints  I often encourage parents that their kids’ choices are their kids’ choices. They cannot take the blame or guilt of their kids making poor decisions. And that is true. And the converse is true too—we cannot take credit for their good decisions. All that to say, I’m […]

Read More...

Be the Parent Your Kid Needs

      Monday I talked about our kids’ issues with us not always being our fault. And that is true. Yet, as in every relationship, we have influence. We cannot determine someone’s response to us, but we can provide fertile the ground in which the relationship can grow. I’m […]

Read More...