Can I Love My Kids Too Much?

Several years ago, when I was at my wits end with one of my kids, someone recommended  a book  When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent.  I’ve often thought about that title and how it applies to our daily lives, especially as we parent. With more than a decade since I read her book, […]

50 Things I Learned From Raising a Challenging Child

A Tribute to Our Daughter August 8, 1988-May 30, 2017

Emerging into the world our daughter arrived six minutes after I had waddled through the emergency entrance at the hospital doors.  Our family joke was that she was the creator of drama and the day of her birth was the beginning.  She had orderlies, nurses, and doctors frantically hustling for her grand entrance while my husband, Dave, was […]

Are You Helping Your Kids Too Much?

Most of us would do anything for our kids.  We want them to be happy.  We want them to say we were always there for them.  We want them to be successful in school, in sports, and in relationships.  Our desire is for our kids to be the best they can be and compete at […]

Are You Coaching Toward Adulthood?

A friend of mine sent me a text this week –“She is crazy in love with the baby, but slow on the ‘adulting’.” A 20-something shows up at my house with no socks for the weekend, “Oh, I haven’t done laundry for over a month.” And a high school junior looks at mom and says, […]

Are You a Mom of Strength and Dignity?

Dare 18 - Keeping Your Kids from Walking all Over You

Dare 18 in With All Due Respect seems to be a favorite among many of the women who read the book.  Every time I’ve led a group, as soon as moms read it they immediately want to talk about it. We laugh because that is the mom we want to be. Why? Most tell me […]

How Do You Want to be Remembered as a Parent?

Dare 3

This has been a contemplative time for me as a parent.  Dealing with my own daughter’s death and thinking through her life, God has brought to mind many of my parenting interactions — the good, the bad, and the ugly.  There are many of those thoughts where I got it right in my parenting interactions, yet there […]