One of the things I notice a lot in our twenty-first century parenting culture is the array of choices parents give their kids. Kids are offered open-ended choices for so many things today that once upon a time they weren’t given any choice about. For example: “Where do you want to go to dinner?;…
It takes incredible courage to ask for help and to get up each day and try again. Parenting is the most important job in the world for most of us. We want to do our best every day and we want to equip our children with all they need to go out into the…
God grant me the serenity to accept my children for the unique people they are, the courage to guide and love them to the best of my ability, and the wisdom to pick my battles. I have a tendency to blame myself for every mistake my children make or every flaw in their behavior. …
Teens can be frustrating to live with sometimes. Their cleanliness habits, diet, choice of leisure activities can drive us crazy. They are old enough now to make these decisions for themselves, but they still live in our house and we have standards! A lot of books will suggest writing up a contract for the…
A mom asked me the other day about when to allow her kids to walk somewhere by themselves. Her kids are eight and ten years old and they want to walk to a shop in town for a game club after school twice a week. The kids are both motivated to do it, but…
Be careful what you say about your kids, especially when they might hear you. Every time you talk about them their ears perk right up. They are listening to hear how you feel about them. Only talk about your kids to other people when you have complimentary things to say about them. But be…
It’s 60 degrees today in Rockford, and my sheets are hanging out on the line. I’ve started the first batch of seeds and I’m itching to get outside and start raking out the gardens! I’ve got Spring Fever. My teenagers, on the other hand, are content staying cozy inside with the remote and the…
At times parents feel pressured to “keep up with the Joneses.” Whether it’s more screen time, $10 from the tooth fairy, their own Facebook page, a birthday celebration in Disney Land, etc., parents are feeling the pressure to let their kids have things that in their hearts feels wrong. They see other parents giving…
Designer Discipline Class flyer New Parenting Series tailored to challenges facing today’s parents. Class participants choose the topics to address and Ms. Mia designs a custom built class specifically catered to class participants’ concerns!
The Washington Post’s article on technology and parents’ cluelessness about teen use has gotten me a little fired up. I want to protect my kids and all kids from the sick degenerates of the world. I want to round every one of them up and throw them in pit together with no food and…