I recently found myself thinking about an old high school t-shirt that stated a simple truth: “Motivation gets you started. Passion keeps you going.” As a parent, I’ve realized this isn’t just a catchy phrase; it’s the profound engine behind getting our kids to do the “hard things” in life – without the constant battles. We often…
How we transformed our Impressionist art study into a powerful lesson in critical thinking, creative confidence, and wise technology use Picture this: Your child has been studying Impressionism for weeks. They know about Monet’s revolutionary plein air paintings, understand the importance of loose brushstrokes, and can tell you all about how portable paint tubes changed…
It was Friday afternoon when my phone buzzed with a text from the farm cellphone. My oldest daughter was doing routine animal welfare checks when she discovered a ram lamb caught in the fence: “Mom! Need backup NOW!” In that moment, I had a choice: drag three little ones out to help with a potentially…
Looking for an engaging way to teach children aged 10-18 about pocket knife safety? My children are all a part of local scouting organizations ; therefore, we have taken an active role in helping lead these troops. Most recently, we planned a knife safety training seminar to earn a carry card to have a knife…
I sat in the family room watching my oldest daughter interact with her baby brother. The whelming flood of emotions that I felt seeing this all unfold left me feeling both empty and exceedingly full. I started to contemplate the complexities of raising children, especially now as a big family, and all of the emotions…
How to help children develop growth mindset even in moments of failure and disappointment.
For decades I have been a a perfectionist. I graduated high school with a 4.92 GPA on a 4.0 scale and finished college with a 3.89… just 0.01 away from Summa Cum Laude. And for years I was bothered by the .1 or less I was away from perfection. How could I possibly live with…
Have you ever looked at your child or children in a moment of frustration and thought “they should know better!” It could be something like picking up something they tripped on so the next person doesn’t fall on their face or maybe it’s something as simple as closing the door behind them. Regardless, as adults…
The Definitive Guide to Authoritative Parenting and How to Do It Right The primary purpose I have here is to help parents, especially young and new parents, understand how to interact with and relate to their children in a way that positively impacts their development. There are many trends, terms, and different parenting styles including…
My children aren’t perfect, by any means. But I will say that in raising them I have tried to instill life skills before age 5 that reinforce responsibility, dependability, and helpfulness. Basically before they start kindergarten, every child I believe should be equipped with basic life skills. So many skills are fairly easy to teach…
Imagine a house filled with chairs, ladders, and step stools that instead of living at the table or nicely tucked away they are all precariously placed underfoot, at bookshelves, and sometimes even stacked upon each other. While some might think of this as a cruel joke or nightmare, let’s reframe it into something beautiful and…
I got a phone call this morning and I was talking about how my 2 and 4 year olds were unintentionally tag-teaming a scream-a-thon. “Why?” was the response. But all I could think is “Anyone’s guess is as good as mine. Because they have big emotions? Because they don’t know how to express themselves? Or…