Discipline vs. Punishment
Do you remember how you felt after your first child arrived? If you were like me, you felt a mixture of bliss and fear. Not only was I happy to finally have this baby, but I was also quite afraid. Afraid of not doing it right. Everything was new and unknown. And there...
Unexpected Parenting Lessons from the NCAA Championship Game
National sporting events are always jam packed with good parenting lessons. From the need to focus on your goal to what can be accomplished when you have discipline, there’s something special about seeing athletes excel. Sometimes though, the lessons are rather...
Share Your Kids
I’m learning that friendship, as a parent, is even more life-giving (life-saving?) now than ever before. And this says a lot coming from a friendship-nostalgia-freak who has a file box of every single note I received in middle and high school organized by name of the...
How to Make Talking About Money with Kids Fun
When you look ahead to the future and what you want to be true for your kids one day, when you imagine the end, wouldn’t you say you want them to know how to handle money well and be financially secure? Whatever financial decisions you have personally made at this...
Fake It Till You Make It
I’ve heard before that when feeling insecure in a new job you just have to “fake it till you make it.” But I seem to have mixed luck with my attempts—especially in my role as a parent. Mostly, I just end up exhausted when I allow insincerity to take over. I was able...
Passing Down Patience
Let’s begin with a confession; patience is a virtue I aspire to, not one I’ve mastered. I hate to wait, I hate to wait in line, I hate to wait for people, and I hate to wait for a surprise. When I was a child I became a master at poking undetectable holes in my...
What It Takes to Raise a Strong-Willed Blessing
One of my most favorite things about being a parent is picking up my little one, Dylan, from school. I mean, it’s like it’s Christmas and I’m Santa. When I open her classroom door, she drops whatever she’s doing, busts into a full sprint towards me, wraps her little...
5 Quick Tips for a Great Spring Break
It’s that time of year again. Spring Break! And although your Spring Break vacations might be different now that you’re a parent, you still want them to be great. Knowing that, we put together five quick tips to make sure you have an awesome one. 1. Don’t compare....
5 Simple Strategies to Help Teens Cope with Anxiety
Spring can be a tough time in the world of a teenager. Yes, the flowers are blooming, the trees are getting greener and the air is filled with the sweet scent of spring flowers. But many high schoolers are experiencing the stress of finals, sitting for AP exams,...
In Defense of Anger
This one isn’t easy. I’m going to come right out and say that. Some of my other blog posts are way easier to write. This one is a bit of a challenge though because it means confronting some long-held beliefs. I’ll just jump into it. I think we parents need to do a...
The Power of a Question
Just two days into the New Year we got the difficult news that my 91-year-old grandmother had passed away. In the days that followed we did what everyone does in the grieving process. We remembered. We told a lot of stories. We recalled conversations and pivotal...
You Bet Life Isn’t Fair, Kid!
Your kids have likely screamed 862 different versions of "That's not fair!!!!" from their small lungs before their fifth birthday. Whether it's the attention you gave her sister but not her, why her friend could get a new Elsa doll but she couldn't, or why the your...