I recently read Saying Yes to Change, a new book by Alex Blackwell of The BridgeMaker blog. I was quickly pulled into Alex's story when I learned that he was raised by a mom who was an alcoholic and that he endured a great deal of bullying due in large…
Former U.S. first lady Rosalynn Carter said, “There are only four kinds of people in the world – those who have been caregivers, those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers and those who will need caregivers.” Everyone, therefore, can benefit from this important guest post by Elissa…
For over 40 years, I’ve been trying to figure out my brother, Jon. Many adjectives have been used to describe him and it seems that he’s finally come up with the one that will stick—Driven. Jon is two years younger than I am, so I’ve known him since the day…
Last week, I was pleased to publish a blog post on the engaging Live Bold & Bloom web site. The post tells of a situation last year when one of our teenaged daughters was very sick and the doctors were not able to confirm a diagnosis. One reader wrote in,…
Last week, I was fortunate to have a blog I wrote published on the terrific web site, The Bridge Maker. Here’s the first part of the piece, with a link to the rest… I was recently reading a business journal and came across an article called, “Learning to let go.” It…
Something my teenage daughters told me they say, to themselves, and to others, to help move on from arguments and other unhappy incidents. I asked the one who brought it to our family (from a soccer camp she attended) to explain exactly what it means and she said, in a…
Being present, having an awareness of our surroundings and the day-to-day happenings in our lives, and being grateful for what we have are some of the thoughts that come to me as I read this guest post by Kevin Clarke. Kevin is a writer for America Magazine and this piece…
I’m appreciative of the response to my “teenproofing” series this week. A bunch of people posted comments and many talked with me directly: by e-mail, by phone, or in-person. In January, when my monthly newsletter goes out, more people will read the blog and chime in. Blog content becomes so…
In part 1 of this series, I told the story of coming home to stop a teen party — and highlighted the problem that ALL parents of teens face. In part 2, I talked about strategies for making sure that when parents are away, teens can’t “play”. In part 3,…
In part 1 of this series, I told the story of coming home to stop a teen party — and highlighted the problem that ALL parents of teens face. In part 2, I talked about strategies for making sure that when parents are away, teens can’t “play”. Today, I share…
In yesterday's post, I told the story of coming home to catch a party that was already a bit out of control (parents’ definition) and might have gotten totally out of control (even by kids’ definition) if I hadn’t broken it up — and I highlighted the problem parents face…
“Dad, can I have a few people over tonight?” Jeremy asked as Marcie and I headed out the door to a nearby party we were attending one Saturday night in 2007. Jeremy was a high school sophomore at the time. The prior night, when Marcie and I were home, he…