Have you established a chore system for kids in your house? If not, you should consider it. Years ago I attended a Mother of Middle Schoolers meeting led by Marya, a fabulous gal slightly further down the parenting path than me. That morning I learned that I stood alone in the I-do-every-single-thing-for-my-kids camp. “When did
For years, I had no idea what was wrong with my mother. That she’d been diagnosed with a mental illness: manic-depression (Known today as Bipolar Disorder.). Ashamed of her condition, Mom told no one. My father stayed silent on the topic as well, not clueing my brothers and me in on her condition. No doubt
Do you want your kids to grow into excellent humans? If so, today’s post with parenting tips is for you. Tony Bear and I have raised three kids that we think are pretty great. Lots of people have assured us this is true. So how did we do it? By the grace of God. And
By Jennifer Norstrom Silbert Exactly one year ago tonight, my brothers, their wives, and I were standing vigil over my dad’s hospice bed at my parents’ home in Wisconsin. We expected, but didn’t know for sure, that Dad wouldn’t make it through the night. His cancer had roared back into his life just three weeks
On my recent reader survey someone asked, “What kind of activities do you and Tony-Bear do with your adult kids now that your nest is empty?” I wonder if she really meant to ask: “How do you get your kids to come visit once they’re ‘grown and flown?’” Host “Family Suppers” This was actually our middle-child’s
A meandering stream-of-consciousness-and-crowdsourced-mothering-advice. Childhood 101: Things every child should know To kick off my massive list of mothering advice, here are nine things every child should know how/why to do. Read (and hopefully love books) Swim Ride a bike Drive a car Shake hands firmly Speak clearly while making eye contact Do laundry Put 10%
For Karen…and Toby Note: If you can’t stand sad animal stories or if you’re at work, “x” out of here quick like a bunny. If on the other hand, you feel in need of a soul-soaking tear flood, read on. I’m running this post-from-the-past at the request of a dear friend. She recently lost her
(Anonymous) Guest Post As the mother of a child who was sexually abused by her father, I frequently find myself being asked questions that I consider…well… odd. But to the Foreigner [the word I use to describe someone who has no idea of the pain we’ve lived through, and praise the Lord, will never
When I was little, I invented a way to prevent childhood sexual abuse. Because I was experiencing it. Before you read about my sexual abuse solution, check out these statistics*: Nearly 70% of ALL reported sexual assaults happen to children 17 and under. 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before age 18. Children
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, this topic is very important to me. And since one in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before the age of 18 (according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), this issue should
