I had a conversation the other day with a friend on the subject of, among other things, how absolutely fantastic and wonderful my children indeed are. She said it first. And yes, you read that right- I, the mother that tells it all, just like it is, agreed that my children were amazing little individuals. …
Cherish. A word that speaks of highly valued treasure. A mother-colleague spoke today of her family and made reference to the fact that her three teen-aged children knew they were cherished. That they felt cherished by her and her husband. And we talked about the significance of this fact to our children’s lives. Mine included. …
What if we saw the best in people? When our spouse offered to do something in a way that we did not prefer, instead of complaining, we saw the good in the effort. Not how annoying it was that they did it differently. Or wrong. Or what if when our children decided to ‘help out’, …
I feel discouragement tonight covering me like a dark, heavy cloak. This has been one of those days of joy-less mothering. Of difficult parenting. Of challenging discussions. Of battered emotions and low self- efficacy. Of wondering ‘what if’ and ‘how come.’ Of hopelessness. And just now, as I sit and contemplate where I am with …
Sometimes all the patience is sucked out, like a Hoover that tirelessly lives up to its brand. Or perhaps like my new LG- promising that life will be good when you use the label. But when air is emptied from within, like a sucker punch to the gut, and all patience, understanding, joy and hope …
An open letter to teachers, care-givers and parents of spirited children everywhere: Dear Caregiver, I am sorry my child lay on the floor today and refused to participate in your class. I also apologize that she further disregarded your implicit instructions pertaining to scheduled activities, not to mention more than once did exactly the opposite …
I am a kindergarten teacher. I have the unique privilege of teaching children who WANT to go to school. Children who look downcast when you tell them Saturday is a day off and that after Saturday is Sunday-another day away from school. Children who share that what makes them happy is ‘going to school’. Children …
As a mom, I feel pressure to capture and preserve every waking moment of my four children’s lives. To photograph, video-tape, blog, anecdote; to keep a baby calendar, baby-record book, family scrapbook, and personal diary; to Facebook, Pinterest, Tweet and Instagram for the love of my children; and to do things the old-fashioned way: write …
We are T-minus zero to bedtime. I am so ready for this. Then one of the rug-rats hollers from the T.V. room, “Daddy promised we could have a game of ‘Hide-and-Go-Seek.’ In the dark. He promised!” He promised, did he? Was his head connected to the rest of his body when these shady deals were …
Who I am is enough. For now. And I say this first and foremost. The rest will follow as it may. I am under the table wiping up crumbs. While I clean, I talk to Husband, who is wiping counters. I talk about my troubles with Daughter Number One. She has been extraordinarily moody of …
How to teach appreciation? I am at a loss, by times… Second-Youngest Daughter came home from school today and mentioned, in an off-hand way, that she had shared her lunch with one of the boys in her Grade 3 class who had only had a bag of Cheesies stashed away inside his lunchbag. When Husband …
We are in spiral down mode. Life as it could be, as it should be, has disintegrated to become life as we now know it: disastrous. Another typical supper hour at the Gard household. One child has exercised her right to blow out her vocal chords at the ripe old age of five. They should …