Almost from the moment our kids are born, people start to talk about that baby growing up and dating. "Your daddy is gonna lock you up til you're 30!" "Look out Mama, this one's gonna be a heartbreaker..." "He'll have all the girls after him!" We spend a lot of time wondering and worrying about the relationships our kids will form in their teens. So when the time actually … [Read more...]
How to Help Grandparents and Grandchildren Connect
Grandchildren learn from grandparents. The relationships our kids have with our parents can make a huge impact on each person's life. There are opportunities for learning family history building confidence showing respect developing resilience Grandparents matter. There are so many ways we can include the older generations of our families in our lives, and so many ways we … [Read more...]
How to Get Kids to Talk About Their Day
"Honey, how was your day?" Do you get frustrated by one word answers or a short recitation with no stories? No clues about how your child is doing? Years ago, my husband and I saw the movie The Story of Us, and (besides the interesting should-we-get-divorced story), we were really impressed by a dinner table ritual this family used. We've adapted and added to it for a couple of … [Read more...]
Teach Kids About Marriage
Whatever you think of marriage, whatever experience you've had, will inform what your kids look for, and what they choose. Are you ready? I wasn't! Laura O'Rourke of Mommy-Miracles.com is doing an amazing series this summer on marriage. She asked me to write about what this relationship means to me. Well, I only know half the story so I asked my amazing husband to get in on … [Read more...]
Peer Pressure – Why it’s not All Bad!
Do you fear peer pressure? I did, until I started to work with large groups of kids. And then? I saw a kindergarten teacher get a whole room quiet by saying "I like how Tyler is sitting quietly on the carpet waiting for our story." I spoke to a teenage patient who, when I asked her if she smokes said, "Oh, none of my friends do - we all think it's awful!" I observed a group of … [Read more...]
