Search Results for: blog can your child put words to feelings

Splat Says Thank You!

How do you know if your child understands the true meaning of Thanksgiving? Before digging into their Turkey Day spread, many families go around the dinner table and share moments of gratitude. Kids are then put on the spot and forced to share one thing they are thankful for while a gaggle of extended guests stare them down. The end result: Typically, a long stretch of silence followed by a string of “ums,” “ers,” “ahs,” and more silence. If you are lucky, you’ll hear a barely audible, “toys” or a regurgitation of whatever the person ahead of your shy child … Continue reading →

Keep New Year’s Resolutions Realistic – Ideas for Young People

Earlier I joked that my daughter’s New Year’s resolution should be doing the dishes every night without being told. What I should have suggested was that she brush her teeth twice a day without whining and complaining. Then again, that would be more of a miracle than a resolution. Regardless, she wasn’t very receptive to either proposition. That’s the thing about New Year’s resolutions; you have to want to make a change in order for them to work. Still, there are many kids out there, who are more than willing to take on a New Year’s resolution, especially if they … Continue reading →

The World of Dating Has Entered Our Home

The world of “dating” has at last entered our home. It is something I wasn’t necessarily dreading but definitely wasn’t looking forward to. I have always said that this time could only come based on certain factors. It wouldn’t be a “magical age” in which permission would be granted. It would be based on things such as grades, my level of trust, the character of my child and so on. In other words, it would be taken on a case-by-case basis. In addition, I have spent the past few years observing the way other families have handled this issue. Now … Continue reading →

Stop the Yelling Before It Starts

We’ve all been there. It’s been a long day, your child has been driving you up the wall, they’re not listening to a word you say, and you can feel your blood begin to boil. Even the smallest mishap causes you to raise your voice and your back to feeling guilty for it a moment later. We’ve all had these moments from time to time. Being a parent isn’t easy, and we all slip up every once in a while. Next time you start feeling the tension rise try one of these simple solutions to stop the yelling even before … Continue reading →

Communicating Very Clearly

I’ve read books and watched movies where the husband and wife are so interconnected, she can just glance at him and he knows everything she wants to say. They have grown together in love and in unity, and they can pretty much read each other’s thoughts. I wish I could say that about my own marriage. No, don’t get me wrong – my husband and I are very united, and we become more so every year. We’ve worked on it diligently and I would have to say that we’ve never been as close as we are now, after fifteen years. … Continue reading →

I Need a Hero!

I think it’s safe to say we all enjoy going to the movies and watching the heroes run through flaming fires to rescue the children trapped on the third floor. Our hearts beat faster when the star leaps into the water, swims across a river, and then rejoins his fiancee on her yacht just in time for their engagement party. We might even think we’d like to find a guy just like that. Wouldn’t it be something to find a man who could fight his way through a crowd of spies, ride a horse like there’s no tomorrow, rappel down … Continue reading →

My children’s perspective – “Discoveration”

I went for a walk today with our youngest daughter, and I decided to use that small bit of alone time to talk to her about her feelings and thoughts about the adoption. In our house there is always someone else around, and I realized that I hadn’t had a chance to really talk about this one-on-one with each of our children. So I figured it might be a good idea to ask them each how they felt, during a time when there wasn’t anyone else around to put words in their mouths or interrupt them. When we have talked … Continue reading →

Estate Planning and the Step Family

For too many of us, estate planning is the thing we’re always going to get to but often don’t. It’s like flossing, but with exponentially greater potential for harm. I understand why we procrastinate, believe me I do, but a failure to act in this department can have a devastating effect on your family. Our financial planner had been after us to create an estate plan for a year; as we began preparations for an extended trip through Mexico, it seemed irresponsible not to have something in place. We contacted an attorney who came highly recommended, and blithely scheduled an … Continue reading →

Dealing with the Diagnosis of Your Child

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My daughter was only a delicate six-day-old baby when the pediatrician’s office called and asked my husband and me to come to the office at 6 o’clock on a Friday night. He told us, frankly, that she had cystic fibrosis and followed it up with a “but people with CF are living into their 30s now”, as if those words could comfort us. At the time, I didn’t know what CF was, let alone that half of those who have it don’t live to be 37. Almost immediately, the normal baby blues turned into a deep depression. And for the … Continue reading →

Yes, I Teach My Teens Abstinence

Despite all of the sex education being taught in school, the condoms that are being made available on some high school campuses and the trend of “friends with benefits,” I have chosen to, yes, teach my teens abstinence. Abstinence teaching is not given much thought. If it is taught in sex education it is more likely a topic that is quickly glossed over. Not much attention is given to that concept because we seem so sure that every teenager in America is going to have sex whether we like it or not. My personal thought on that is we have … Continue reading →