Sometimes it’s hard to separate my daughter’s identity from what I remember about my childhood identity. She is a competitive swimmer, and I was too. She likes to draw, and I did too. She shares enough of my physical features to elicit comments like, “we know whose daughter that is.”
So even though I know, conceptually, [...]
One way to be involved with your kids is to become involved with an
activity they are passionate about. This doesn’t mean that you
actually do the activity with them (although you could). What I’m
talking about in this post is volunteering with an organization your
child is a part of.
This comment connects directly with a book discussion group [...]
Usually I post to this blog first thing in the morning, but I mistakenly
thought I could host my daughter’s birthday sleepover and still write
my blog. I’ll remember to pre-announce a change to the blog
schedule when I’m hosting an overnight event in the future!
Now I’m shifting gears and getting ready to host Thanksgiving dinner
at our house. [...]
Does anyone else remember that cute little dinosaur from the TV
show “Dinosaurs” who would quip quotable quotes from his high chair?
He would occasionally whack his dad, Earl, over the head with a frying
pan and shriek, “NOT da mama!”
When baby wanted mom (Fran), he made no bones about it.
If you’re a stepmother trying to fit in [...]
As my mother is aging she has moved closer by and I’m spending
more and more time with her. Something I’ve become sharply aware
of in recent years is that she’s one of my biggest fans.
Sometimes I don’t need this kind of validation, but who am I to deny a
little praise?
She frequently comments favorably on my parenting [...]
Don’t fret. Your college girls will search once more for connectedness
and roots. They just need a little time to spread their wings.
Even if you daughter never actually said, “I can’t wait to get out of this
house!” she probably thought it once or twice during the high school
years. And unless she’s either not attending college or [...]
Continue reading about Your Girl’s Away at College? Don’t Worry, She’ll be Back….
My daughter was in a first and second-grade loop, which means she kept the same teacher and classmates for two years. When that second grade class was split evenly into thirds, headed for three different third grades, Amy lost the company of one of her close friends.
“She’ll become closest friends with someone else,” Amy wailed [...]
A friend of mine and I were confiding in each other about what is apparently a bit of a taboo subject. We were discussing the ever-so-subtle differences in the love we feel for our children and the love we feel for our stepchildren or adopted children. We are blessed to have both kinds of relationships [...]
Continue reading about Which Love do I Feel for my Stepchildren?
There are several reasons that I’m writing a book about stepparenting children who have lost a parent. A huge one is because I believe that this type of grief changes a lot of dynamics in the stepfamily as compared to a divorce situation. There is no book dedicated to the topic of stepparenting grieving children.
Why [...]
Dorothy said it best during her time travel from Oz: “There’s no place
like home.”
A recent vacation to New York City, where I grew up, was such a
relaxing and rejuvenating experience that it sparked me to think about
the significance of home. Home may be where you actually grew up.
Or, it may be another place or even [...]