*Disclaimer: this content is not appropriate for younger eyes.* Imagine your daughter perched on the couch, laughing with friends while painting their fingernails and watching an Austen film. In the last year, she’s grown taller than you, but her knobby knees and questions let you know she’s still a child at heart. It wasn’t that […]
Parenting
Motivating our Minions
In college, I worked two years at a daycare. Although I appreciated the preparation it afforded toward future parenting, some of the methods employed didn’t set me up as a successful instructor. Obviously, a daycare regulated by the state had to be cautious when it came to disciplinary actions. We as teachers were not allowed […]
Do You Need a Substitute Teacher?
Homeschool mommas need a break too, but ironically, we are often the last to get it. Aside from helpful grandparents who bail us out, we don’t get out-of-jail cards very often. No paid holidays, no snow days, no long weekends. Even co-ops and sports often require our help or presence. Homeschool moms are […]
Dads, You ARE Appreciated
Bouncing around social media you’ll find all these blogs, videos, and memes encouraging moms, “You are doing great! Give yourself grace. Keep doing the hard stuff. You are amazing.” Etc. Etc. And then we dismiss or ignore the dads. Or worse yet, we applaud the moms and then beat fathers over the head, “You aren’t […]
How to Encourage Your Kids to Write
We’re starting back to school today, which excites a few and makes others groan. If you are a teacher or homeschool mom, these tips might come in handy this semester. As an online English professor I know what it means to teach “the dreaded class.” Aside from public speaking courses, composition seems to be the […]
Play It Again, Sam
I’m over at my mom’s house, introducing an 80’s movie to my kids. Though the VHS is old and cheesy, my children enjoy the adventure of the story and revel in the experience of watching something I did as a child. After the film is over, I snatch kids and put on shoes, trying to […]
Helping Your Child Deal with Anger
As most children do, our kids torpedoed their way through the terrible twos and thunderous threes. Some days we thought we might not survive, the tantrums left us so exhausted. Despite confusion and fatigue, our children’s emotional pitfalls kept me on my knees. Many nights when everyone is snoring in their beds, I will drop […]
Staying Calm in a Chaotic Situation
!!The power of overreacting!! For years it has irritated my husband and me how kids’ television shows promote this idea of escalated feelings. You hear such things like the following: Oh, no, what will we do! We have a really big problem. Really? What are we talking about here? I realize these shows are trying […]
How to Keep the Sabbath with Young Kids
“Now I think that the principle in the New Testament is that God ordains that one day in seven be restful. I think that’s a creation ordinance for our good, for our health.” —John Piper Growing up a daughter to a Baptist preacher, I thought I knew what it was to “remember the Sabbath day […]
Caution: Authenticity vs. Oversharing
A few nights ago, I sat outside with some long-time friends, talking about kids and life. The question was posed, “How does a parent teach a child to be honest without disclosing too much (especially negative stuff) to everyone?” One friend shared this insight, “You have to discern whether the person asking ‘how you are’ […]