Mental Health

For those of you who are raising three-year-olds, you understand the dreaded “three-nager” phase. This phase comes with boundary testing and fierce independence. My youngest is a wild, free-spirited, little lady with a big personality and a ton of self-confidence! The more I think about it, I start to imagine what it would be like to live with the same unapologetic confidence as my toddler? There is nothing like confidence To prepare for a typical day, I lay out all of my children’s clothes the evening before to help our morning run smoothly. My youngest is used to this routine and rarely gives us trouble with getting ready. On one recent morning, I realized that Laurel hadn’t come out of her...

How to be a respectful parent without losing your sh*t? Well, I don’t have the answer to that, but read on if you would like to get a little closer to the answer. First, I’ll open with this TikTok gold that a lot of us can relate to: https://www.tiktok.com/@momthoughts/video/6986397679383268613?_d=secCgYIASAHKAESMgow5nkYGGYc%2Bm6gr70kQYlNuwZWT4jox3Z2KTMtNYnDRUgGEXqrLBZx2zecm%2F0SN5NvGgA%3D&checksum=594ed08dc57a31f7eabdf54253d857feaa5c8286335d9c5b5a109fee56571807&clips_cover_ab=v3&enable_clips=1&language=en&preview_pb=0&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA6RNUT_xosbfhmQJoFfzXSboiI6sIKsxWqZPu3ywNiO9AyrUoPxVXY0_ZTRxdKYgZ&share_app_id=1233&share_item_id=6986397679383268613&share_link_id=4C9A2099-DB57-46F3-91BA-9C990C62D3CD&source=h5_m&timestamp=1627441357&tt_from=sms&u_code=d9kf4h4aijk14a&user_id=6769390469007213574&utm_campaign=client_share&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=sms&_r=1 Second, I’m going to explain the difference between respectful parenting and permissive parenting. Respectful parenting gets a bad rep because it is often confused with permissive parenting. Respectful parenting is treating your child as a human being and connecting with them. After all, you wouldn’t yell at or hit your other family members, co-workers, or friends. It is important to note that it does not entail not disciplining your child. Permissive parenting, on...

“I’ll message you later.” It’s more commonplace than “I’ll see you later” or even “I’ll call you later.”  It’s easier. It’s more convenient. It’s more efficient. But are all these different methods of communication cutting us off from one another a little too much? Texting, emailing, audio messaging, and social media are becoming the go-to for reaching out and connecting to people. This applies not just to acquaintances but even to family and close friends. But confusion occurs when the line between our 762 Facebook friends and our handful of ride-or-die people is blurred. Unfortunately, the line continues to fade with time by our reluctance to drop by and visit or simply pick up the phone to check in every now...

How do you grieve, cry, get through personal challenges while ‘the show must go on’… being a mom? Mom is supposed to be the fearless emotional backbone of the family, the one our babies come to when they fall down and the one they want a hug from when their heart gets broken, but what happens when mom ‘breaks’? Mom will physically keep going even when she is emotionally falling apart. As a mother of three boys who has been through harder days than easier, childhood trauma and situational instability, the one thing I have learned through it all is just that… ‘the show must go.’ The important thing I have learned is emotionally sharing that journey with my children and being open....

I have been sitting on the idea of unplugging myself recently. Every time it crosses my mind to limit my social media time, my texting, etc. I always find some amazing excuse not to! I mean, how else would I find the best deals on Amazon Prime Day, or know that Target released a new OpalHouse collection?!But all these little subtle hints keep coming back to me pushing me to unplug. The priest in mass on Sunday got lots of laughs as he imitated a conversation he had with his friend on her phone, there were lots of awkward silences. As my husband nudged me, I knew. It was time. Time to clean up the apps on my phone,...