One of our jobs as parents is to nurture our kid’s sense of identity. Through the time we spend with them our kids learn who they are, what they’re good at, as well as our family’s belief system. They develop a mental image of who they are as they receive feedback from the world around […]
Several years ago, as a Human Resource Manager for a large engineering firm, one of my jobs was to interview employees who decided to leave the company. At the time, I was pregnant with my first, so I didn’t fully grasp the concept of total commitment to parenting. As this employee told me that she […]
Sitting in the driver’s seat of our son’s 1996 Camry in rush hour traffic, I could feel the shift of the engine revving up. I was sitting on an exit ramp with nowhere to go. Even with my foot on the brake, the minute I let up to inch forward I could feel the car […]
It didn’t take long for me to realize that my kid was still angry at me. Sitting at the breakfast table there was no small-talk to be had. Focused on the food in front of her, I sensed the “I’m not going to acknowledge you” communication. It had all started innocently, but had become a […]
I tend to be an observer of relationship interactions and the event gave me plenty to ponder. I saw it happening and wanted to call a halt in the middle of it, but it certainly wasn’t my place. I turned away–embarrassed for this young man and embarrassed for his father. It was intermission and Dad […]
Several years ago I remember a distinct day of listening and trying to walk beside two of my kids in a way that they needed. What I discovered as I interacted with my 20-somethings that they both needed me in different ways. What worked for one didn’t work for the other. I caught myself opening […]