Identity

Mama J on May 26th, 2011

I didn’t blog yesterday because the day was filled with “last days of 5th grade” events. Graduation in the morning, the outdoor celebration lunch, followed by the annual field day. Whew! At the luncheon, one of my friends asked, “Are you going to miss elementary school?” (This is truly the end of our own kids […]

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Mama J on April 7th, 2009

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, […]

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Mama J on January 26th, 2009

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 […]

Continue reading about Being Involved is a Blessing

Mama J on November 26th, 2008

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 […]

Continue reading about Holidays are Tapestries of Tradition

Mama J on November 19th, 2008

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 […]

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Mama J on November 11th, 2008

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 […]

Continue reading about Let’s Be Our Daughters’ Fans

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 […]

Continue reading about Your Girl’s Away at College? Don’t Worry, She’ll be Back….

Mama J on October 2nd, 2008

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 […]

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Mama J on October 1st, 2008

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 […]

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Mama J on September 24th, 2008

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. […]

Continue reading about The Grief Factor in Stepfamilies