We certainly know motivation when we experience it. Close your eyes and I bet you can conjure a time when your goals felt compelling and the path towards them manageable and, dare I say, energizing. The opposite feeling is also familiar, when our goals feel fuzzy, our feet heavy, and the pathways uninviting. It’s hard… Read More →
Last week I walked downstairs to find my two sons playing a game of chess. “How delightful!” I thought to myself. We had been practicing social distancing for a couple of weeks already, and everyone in our family was getting antsy. Seeing my kids getting along like this was like balm for my weary parenting… Read More →
I knew we had reached peak screen saturation in my home as I watched my youngest son log onto a Zoom call and then, realizing he wanted his brother included, walked over and sat next to him on the couch. My eldest was on Facetime and they quickly realized they were live streaming a live… Read More →
Teachers, parents, and families everywhere are scrambling to bring teaching and learning online. Administrators are working hard to find ways to provide food and technology to families who need them. Caregivers are juggling full time work, the strain of job loss, or the stress of working on the front lines at the same time that… Read More →
“Our family really knows how to cook!” my son exclaimed proudly as he served his own specialty macaroni and cheese to us a couple of days ago for dinner. “YES!” my youngest agreed happily, squeezing enough ketchup for the entire family onto his plate. Whether or not I agree with the level of culinary sophistication… Read More →
This week marked the first official week of learning at home in the wake of school closures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Our family started social distancing efforts last week so I had a little time to mentally prepare for the new reality of juggling working, parenting, and teaching. I knew better than… Read More →
“How long should I wash my hands? Two hours?” my five-year-old asked before dinner. “Kids don’t even get sick from the corona virus!” my oldest asserted in a calm yet slightly annoyed, “I-know-more-than-you” voice. An argument ensued over who knew more about the virus and exactly which song is twenty seconds long. Even if children and… Read More →
When it comes to talking with teens, a participant in our fall Why Do They Act That Way online class shared this with me, “I think the hardest part is just not knowing if the conversations we are having make any difference. My daughter is NOT a talker, and I seem to annoy her a… Read More →
“Say our important things,” my youngest child reminded me as I told him to turn off his headlamp and close his eyes to go to sleep. “Of course! Do I ever forget?” I asked. “Well sometimes, but not usually. No, I guess not,” he replied, snuggling into his bed waiting for me to begin our… Read More →
There is a lot of talk these days about finding balance. Work-life balance. A balanced diet. Keeping media in balance. In general, balance is a worthy goal. Parenting, though, often feels like an exercise in grappling with persistent imbalance. Curve balls are constant. Kids are messy, unpredictable, challenging, and delightful. This is in part because… Read More →
