Growing Up

More often than not, my son gets "surprises" and "special treats." These range from frequent Amazon packages from my parents who live across the country local grandma causally dropping off five brand new outfits to my own friends sending him toys and books "just because." My response is usually, "Oh my gosh, thank you so much. You are just going to spoil him rotten!" And yet even with the receiving of gifts galore for simply existing, my kind family and friends are not responsible for his spoiledness (is that a word?). I am. And it's progressively gotten worse. The first time I really noticed it is when he was little I made the first-time mother mistake. You know the one. It's when your child is...

My Darling, I know you try. I see your frustration when you are trying and can’t get it right. I know your grades aren’t a perfect reflection of how smart you are. You are so very smart. In fact, your imagination and knowledge about certain subjects astounds me. The facts that you tell me and the wisdom on certain things that you share with me blows my mind. I know you try to sit still, but I know that sitting still is impossible. So I am ok with you wiggling in your chair and running. I know that it makes your mind happy. I know that you want to sit still when we are in certain settings, and I know you...

"When we get to Heaven, will you walk me to see Jesus?" This question that my 4-year-old asked me after our nightly prayer immediately triggered tears in my eyes. To me, there is nothing more intimidating as a parent than talking to your children about faith, Jesus, God, or the Holy Spirit. Coming from someone who grew up in church, this may surprise you. But for some reason, I feel a certain pressure to get it "right" because it's been such a huge part of my life since I can remember. And if I'm being honest, I've had to somewhat undo the perspective I had as a kid or teenager (legalism, behavior modification, etc.), so I do worry about "messing up." To...

Have you ever struggled with knowing how to help your child learn to read? Like most parents, I have wondered how much is my responsibility and how much is up to my child’s teacher. Should we wait until the teacher says there is a problem? Or should we start working on these skills now? Regardless of how old your young reader is, there is something that you can do right now to improve his or her reading skills. There is a specific skill that most parents have never heard of, yet is one of the best predictors of how well a child will learn to read. Before we get into that though, let’s take a step back and look at the big...

I was four years old hiding in my mom's closet, covering my ears from the relentless yelling and pounding. My older sister holding me tight singing "Jesus Loves Me" into my ear so I wouldn't hear the horrific sounds coming from our living room. The sounds of our father beating our mother as she pleaded for her life. Despite my sister's best efforts I heard it all, I remember it all, and when I close my eyes now I can place my 30-something year old self back into that little four-year-old body. My childhood was stolen from me due to witnessing domestic violence on a regular basis. My father was an alcoholic. And when he drank he abused my mother. They married young then had my sister...