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Rule: The Truth Wins Out

I grew up hearing “the truth will set you free.” It’s a common saying I heard at home and at school, especially when those saying it wanted to prompt others to tell the truth. However, the origination of the saying came from the Bible, in John 8:32 and had nothing to do with being truthful.

My son came home from work the other day and told me his boss had encouraged him to tell a lie to a…

The Night a Bat Came to Dinner

We had emptied the dehumidifier twice that day. I was learning what it meant when writers described the air as “so thick you could cut it with a knife.” Thank the good Lord for air conditioning.

My youngest son was home for the holiday weekend and crashing on the couch in the living room. My oldest son was tucked away in his bedroom, the door firmly closed and asleep in his bed.

My daughter was…

The Journey Through Loss

It’s a journey familiar to anyone who has lived more than 20 years. Loss is a painful and challenging road.

Several months ago I started watching a television show on Acorn.tv – my new favorite streaming membership. The show is “800 Words” about a man and his two children who moved from Australia to New Zealand just after his wife was killed in an accident.

Against the wishes of his in-laws he…

Living on the Edge

When my ex-husband and I were first married, we began to use a budget. I was used to saving and living a bit frugally – while my ex was more accustomed to eating out and spending much of his paycheck every month. It’s not that one is better or worse than the other – it’s just different.

One of the more common fights between couples is over how money is spent, but for some unknown reason I gave a…

Tell Your Children You Don’t Know

How much courage does it take to tell your children you don’t have the answer?

  When I was a child, my mother always had an answer. And, according to her, she was always right. I remember a neighbor asked her once what would happen when her children finally realized that she really didn’t KNOW EVERYTHING. She laughed it off, thinking it would not cause a problem. In later years I found out it…

Raise a Child Who Loves to Read

Raising your child in an era when communication is limited to 140 characters, a picture or a text message full of emojis, your children may wonder what the benefit is to learning − and enjoy − reading might be. Your child may learn about John Corcoran, the author of “The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read” − a man who graduated high school and college and went on to become a popular high school teacher –…

Prepare For and Face Down Cyberbullies

When my oldest were my youngest, the idea of cyberbullying wasn’t even a twinkle in their father’s eye. We dealt with bullying on the playground, in the classroom and at after-school events. But today, my youngest is faced with other children who feel the only way to communicate their frustrations is through bullying others over their phone or in social media.

Unlike traditional bullying,…

When Was the Last Time You Took Time Off?

You and I both know the answer. It’s highly unlikely you have had anytime off unless you have family close by who are willing to take over child care for a day or two.

In fact, there usually are no sick days for moms in general.  And, if the truth be told, there are no real sick days for any woman who isn’t single and alone.

The real questions is . . .

SHOULD single moms take a sick day?

Before…

Unconditional: Love or Acceptance?

The first time I became a parent I had twins. It didn’t seem real when I was pregnant and looking at pictures of ultrasounds. I was confined to bed rest for 3 months and it didn’t seem real when I was hooked up to monitors twice a day to ensure that premature labor hadn’t started again. In fact, it didn’t seem real even after the delivery with two neonatologists, two neonatal nurses, my doctor,…

7 Ways to Make Your Life Better

In a world ruled by rules, some make perfect sense and others you may accept as true without proof. You may have discovered them in a book, from a teacher, from your parents or even your friends. You may have learned them on your own and believed your experience or your friends. These are often unwritten and sometimes splashed in funny memes meant to poke fun at what may be a bit of truth, or all…

Hovering Helicopters Are Not Productive

Do you belong to a group of parents not so affectionately known as helicopter parents?

Maybe you don’t recognize your membership in this group of moms. Maybe you see it in others, but not in yourself. After all – you are only looking out after the safety of your children. You want them to grow up healthy, happy and full of the same character and values you hold dear.

Unfortunately, one of the…

Getting Off the Emotional Treadmill

Have you ever experienced the crushing weight of expectation? If you’re a woman, this is likely a common everyday occurrence for you. Your children have expectations for what you can provide and what you’ll do. Your boss has expectations of your performance and your friends have expectations of your ability to be there for them.

But woven into each of these groups is the expectation you’ll…

Unlearn Your Need to Be Liked

As a teenager, I was the last to be picked in any sport, team or in physical education class at school. I was the last to be chosen for any group or activity. That’s not to say that I didn’t have friends, because I did. But it is to say that the cheerleaders, Geeks and science nerds avoided me. I didn’t have a set group. I belonged to the outside group.

I believe the result was I grew up with an…

Let’s Teach Our Daughters to Be Brave

Raising daughters and sons is different. Before I had children I was a nurse and raised in traditional medicine. The argument often posed in past years was whether nature or nurture had a greater impact on the development of a child.

In other words, were girls just born the way they were, or were they raised in a certain environment that encouraged them to develop differently. My first children…

The Danger in Silence

“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

  Although the attribution of this quote is in question – some attribute to Dr. Martin King and others have found it was an error in cutting and pasting from a Facebook post by Jessica Dovey – the reality is that the words ring true no matter who said them.

This was aptly demonstrated as the #MeToo…

Do Your Children Know Your Safety Rules?

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, my oldest children were born. While it seems like only yesterday, it was actually nearly 26 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. The twins were lying on the hospital bed and I teasingly asked my then husband at what age did he think he would let the girl start dating.

While it was a joke, he seriously answered that she would be 40 years old…

What’s Your Parenting Style?

I am a big believer in doing things intentionally. For far too long, I allowed things to happen TO me instead of making them happen. In fact, it was just last week I sat down with a trusted friend and went over a business plan that should take me through the next two years. It was important that I intentionally address the growth of my business, in the same way that it has been important I…