“Can I cry?” The deluge of tears and snot began, of course, before this terse sentence had even left my lips. I was mired in a season of life where I felt like nothing but one huge, raw, exposed nerve, …
Teaching My Children Generosity
“You have to share!” “Take turns!” “Give it to her already!” “I’m sorry, but you just can’t have it your way. All. Of. The. Time!” My attempts to guide my children toward kind, generous behavior go from patient to livid …
Beware of the Crazy Talk: Learning to diffuse money conversations
Have you ever heard crazy talk coming out of your mouth but couldn’t do anything to stop it? “Why don’t you trust me?” Boom. There goes the crazy talk. I couldn’t believe I said that – out loud – to …
What I Say to My Kids Instead of “We Can’t Afford That”
Sometimes the words come out of my mouth, “I’m sorry honey, we just can’t afford that.” Those are times when it’s the bottom-line reality of the budget. But more often I try to say, “That’s not how we choose to …
Problem-Solving, Mommy Style
What would you do? A farmer needs to get a sack of corn, a chicken and a fox across a river in his small boat. He can only bring one item with him each trip. He knows that if he …
Raising Great Kids: Dealing With Selfishness
Preschoolers are all about “me first.” They only look at reality in terms of how it affects them: I need all the cookies. I want to watch this TV show. Mine, mine, mine. It’s a self-absorbed time of life. Part …
Noticing the Man In Front of Me
“I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.” A spontaneous Friday morning work date. My husband Derek sat across from me in a downtown hotel lobby with Wi-Fi and coffee for the taking, our respective …
There’s No Place Like Home
When I was growing up, one of my favorite movies was “The Wizard of Oz.” The most powerful scene for me as a little girl was at the end of the movie when Dorothy repeatedly whispers her heartfelt declaration: “There’s …
When Home for the Holidays Doesn’t Seem Like Home
You lug your suitcase and your child’s duffle up the stairs, knowing you’ll have to make several more trips to get all the paraphernalia out of the car and into place. After elbowing on the light switch, you wrestle the …
It Gets Better: Coping When Things Go Terribly Wrong
My daughters were four, two, and newborn when it happened. I had not slept through the night in years. None of my clothes fit. I had oatmeal in my hair. I couldn’t get that freaking Dora the Explorertheme song out …