Perspectives in Parenting

I love to sit in restaurants and make up stories about the people who are sitting around me- the young, nervous teenagers on their first date, or the older couple out celebrating the birth of their eighth grandbaby- all based on their body language and demeanor. My husband and I will play this game over a cup of coffee and will laugh at the ridiculous stories that we make up about these people based on pretty much nothing. I wish that this was the only time that I ever made judgments about people- when they were harmless and lighthearted, and when I wasn't acting upon said judgments. Unfortunately, that's not the case. Sometimes I judge people's parenting. Sometimes I judge marriages. Sometimes...

“Mama? What’s college?” she asked a few months ago as we passed LSU on the interstate after I pointed out where I went to college. I explained in seven-year-old terms that college is where people go to learn how to do their jobs. I went to learn to be a teacher, and her daddy learned to be a nurse. That satisfied her, and I quickly forgot the exchange. Simple things haven’t always come easy to my girl. She hit most major milestones on the late end of the normal range. Her speech wasn’t clear to most people until well into her third year of life. When we expressed concern, it was dismissed time and again, because she sat on the...

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored by Straight Outta Compton nor are we supporting/unsupporting this movie. We just wanted to play along and laugh a little. :) We like to capture all of motherhood: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Mostly the good. But every now and then it is fun to laugh at ourselves and this momma journey. We were inspired from the #straighoutta trend of memes happening right now and wanted to jump on that bandwagon. Here ya go... #straightoutta mommy style!   Want to play along? You can make your own right here. Be sure to tag us on Facebook or Instagram in it so we can see!  

I've written before about some of the things we've experienced as a transracial family in the deep south. I wish I could say that I always responded to these situations with grace, tact and an open mind, but that would be a lie. Sometimes strangers catch me on a bad day, and my response has been little more than a sharp glare and a big sigh of total annoyance. We all have experienced those moments where a stranger says something hurtful, offers their unsolicited advice, or challenges us as parents. What I am learning to embrace in motherhood is the fact that I can't change how other people act, I can only control how I react in these moments. I had an experience...

The waves can crash at any time these days.  In the middle of cooking chili or in the middle of a Friday Night Lights marathon with my husband or even mid-step on the stair climber at the gym.  The waves of anxiety and anticipation will overcome me.  This may sound like a serious issue, but don’t worry, it’s just typical middle-of-the-summer panic for a teacher.  This may surprise you, but we teachers get nervous before the start of every school year just like you and your child.  We, too, anticipate the unknown and ask some of the same questions your child ponders.  Do these sound familiar? “Who will be in my class?” “Will they like me?” “What will my day be like?” “Can I...