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Our Kids Need More Than Love
Research shows that our kids need more than love: they need to feel understood for who they truly are. Active listening is the key to that Read more
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Lessons from a Potty Training Fail
As a mom, I tend to lean into self-recrimination. When I realize I’ve screwed something up, I usually beat myself up about it. So much so, that if I’m not careful I can actually miss the really important lessons – and latent gifts – that come from being a less than perfect mom. Take, for… Read more
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How to be the Perfect Mom
After my kids were old enough to question my decisions, but before they were quite ready to challenge my answers, I had a pat response to any inquiry they made about the limits of my rule-making authority: “God made me the mom for a reason.” Gutsy, right? Equating my refusal to stop at Dunkin Donuts… Read more
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Want your Son to be Authentically Himself? Encourage his Friendships with other Boys
This was a scene that played out on occasion when my kids were young. My husband would come home from the rare night out with the guys. I would ask him how his friend [fill in name of hurting friend] was doing since the [fill in appropriate calamity: break up, miscarriage, job loss]. My husband… Read more
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What Other Moms Really Think When your Child Misbehaves
A few weeks ago I was at a crowded local lunch spot with my daughter when two young women, each with a three year old in tow, settled into the table next to us. I smiled at them, fondly remembering how much I had enjoyed outings like that when my own kids were small and… Read more
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The Santa Talk
One chilly afternoon in the fall of third grade, my oldest daughter, Scout, stomped down the stairs and into the study where I was – thank God – alone. She was carrying a ridiculously thick book, The Lives of the Saints, cracked open to the middle, and looked at me as if she had just solved… Read more