The most challenging aspect of parenting two boys who were about 2.5 years apart was the fighting.  I couldn’t stand to hear them hurt each other, be it through words or fists.  I was continuously letting myself become triangulated in their disputes.  What I’ve learned since they’ve grown up is that by getting involved…

Being together 24/7 can be very challenging. We used to be able to take a break from one another occasionally in order to regroup, calm down, reconnect with ourselves before heading back into a challenging family circumstance. But with Stay at Home we can’t. So we need to cultivate our respect for each other…

Tonight, April 6th, 2020, PBS will air a documentary on childhood adverse experiences and resilience. Check your local listing as this is something we all won’t want to miss. Childhood trauma, unfortunately, is a common experience for many people. Why is it that some come out of a traumatic childhood experience and thrive while…

Eating out with kids can be more trouble than it’s worth, but with just a few preparatory details, it can be delightful. How will our children know how to behave if we don’t teach them? Showing a child how to use a quieter voice in a restaurant and not to stand up and lean…

You are familiar with the concept of attachment parenting, right? The idea that when we are present and responsive to our babies and young children, they will grow to be healthier people, capable of healthy relationships later on in life. What if we were to apply these ideas to how we nurture our relationship…

I’m reading a novel about two sisters who experienced a tragedy as teenagers and live through it only to grow up and never speak to each other. The one sister who was badly injured is so disappointed in her sister, who was able to run away from the perpetrators, because she doesn’t grow up…

Thankfully, there is a lot of research happening about childhood trauma and how it affects all of us. I believe that the most valuable information to come out of this research is the information about the protective factors that can mitigate the effects of adverse childhood experiences. Research is showing us that we can…

Today is our wedding anniversary. Things have been remarkably stressful these past weeks with moving and down-sizing. We haven’t been nurturing our relationship and it feels like there isn’t much to celebrate this year. So I have a choice, as always, about how to look at this milestone. We can see the struggles and…

Having a moving sale was a TON of work. We were sleep deprived, undernourished, and injury-ridden (he smashed his finger hitching the trailer to the truck and I dropped a recliner on my foot – thankfully, no broken bones). And it was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. I met people…

Now that my kids are setting off on their own journeys, my husband and I are planning our own expedition. Do we want to move to the mountains? The seaside? Should we buy a country plot around here and build a home? We’re not sure. We do know that we want to create a…