This morning I sat down and mapped out a route and just how long it would take to walk the 2.1 miles to Jenn’s school to pick her up. I thought that maybe since the weather is nicer and because the emotions have been running so high in our home that a quiet walk in…
I was once told that I would really value my strong willed kids one day, but that it would be hard raising them. But at the time I didn’t realize that strong willed and defiant were not the same thing, even if it was a fine line. I had to come to the conclusion on…
Listening to Jenn, my 5-year-old, I hear her uninhibited enthusiasm each afternoon. She always gives a play-by-play and I am taken on a roller coaster of emotions as she tells the story of her day. Her soft blue eyes grow wide as she talks about big emotions, obstacles overcome, and the shocking scandals only kindergarteners…
In 2011, I started shifting away from negative language in my high school classroom to a more positive beat. It’s part of what I studied and researched throughout college. Even so, to my astonishment, I started seeing results almost immediately. As if I was holding some sort of magical potion, these teenagers started behaving differently…
Our family believes in natural and logical consequences. We also strive for positive guidance through tough situations. But when a child becomes defiant or lies, natural consequences feel a little less “black and white” and a lot more confusing both for caregiver and child. It’s easy to feel like we’re grasping at straws to find a…
Armed with what I felt was the perfect curriculum to shape 125 young teenage minds to understand, apply, and actually enjoy world history, I walked into a classroom of sophomores in a small private school to begin my teaching career. I realized that after that first week of school, I had to reshape my expectations,…
The baby was crying. The toddler was beating on pots and pans. The kindergartener was sick. And I had a list a mile long not getting done. And suddenly I realized my family was heading down a spiral of bad moods and bad ‘tudes. I lost all empathy to every little thing that was happening….
Spending time together as a family is truly one of the most memorable and impactful ways we can invest into our children while they still live at home. And a feeling of family togetherness is the most precious gift we can give to our children as toddlers, kids, and teens, making them want to come…
Noise is one of my triggers. And when anyone in my family spends a little too much time in front of a screen we get a little crazy. And those are the days I wish there was a magic family reset button. I start wondering why I ever turned on the TV or start blaming…
As I walked to the dismissal line at school, Jenn quickly walked right past me with a sour face. She trotted to the car without a word and melted immediately upon entering the van. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I asked. “Ms. Kinsington told us if we weren’t better, she wouldn’t be our teacher anymore!” she…
Being negative is contagious. It spreads like wildfire through the family. And it’s not just that old adage about when mama’s not happy, nobody is happy. But when the toddler is throwing a fit or the teenager is sporting an attitude or dad has had a long day, they all contribute to the downhill spiral…
Emma, my 2nd child likes to stomp, scream, and hit when she is mad. Back when she was a so-called threenager, she could be vicious. Now entering more of the pre-teen stages, she and some of my other children have learned to deal with emotions better, but they’re still learning that using force is not…