10 Parenting Lessons that Will Make a Significant Impact on Your Child’s Life
Have you ever received an instruction manual for something you bought that was 50 pages long, but included in the box was also a Quick Start guide? Do you ever wish our children came with a Quick Start guide? We spend years worrying about whether or not we are parenting our children correctly, and it often takes over 18 years for us to find out the results. Well, I’ve been parenting for almost 21 years now and so I feel pretty safe in writing this “so called Quick Start Guide”. It...
Read More10 Four Letter Words Describing Motherhood
I’m not sure if it was the baby feet or the sentimental nature of the article, but I just couldn’t pass up this great read shared with us by FindANanny. It’s always nice to pause for a few moments and reflect on all that motherhood has to offer us. Motherhood is probably one of the most wonderful, difficult, rewarding, thankless, exciting, terrifying, satisfying, amazing jobs on earth. It is full of ups and downs and all kinds of conflicting emotions and experiences. Can it...
Read MoreDear God, Our Dog Abby Died
Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words: Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that...
Read MoreThe “To Be” List
A weary mom reached out to me recently and said “I want to have good feelings about doing what it takes each day…” And she went on to elaborate “I feel like I have so much to do, I want to do it, it is just too big and I make the littlest dent after tremendous effort.” My heart went out to this mom. And I know from my experience of working with moms that this is such a common feeling. So many moms are focused on the “to do” list. And we...
Read MoreAlphabet of Motherhood
Alphabet of Motherhood ASK for help. BELONG to a mom’s social group. CARE for yourself like you care for your children. DANCE with your children until the inner child in you comes out. EAT chocolate – you’re entitled! FORGIVE yourself for your mistakes over and over again. GIVE up some control…seriously, let it go! HAVE regular date nights with your hubby. It’s a gift to your children. IF you say no, make sure you mean no. IF you say yes, make sure it’s an absolute...
Read MoreUnqualified to be a Parent
I read recently the following quote by Tom Peters: “There is no such thing as a minor lapse in integrity.” The same is true for parenting. Being a parent is not something that you clock in and do only during your waking hours. It is much more of the person you are; day in and day out. Not only does it take over your waking hours, but permeates your sleeping hours as well. Parenting rules your work week as well as your weekends; your lazy days and busy days. It...
Read MoreI’m So Exhausted: 4 Tips to Combat Parental Burnout
by Erin Schlicher, Parental Support Line Advisor Are you often exhausted as a parent? Do you regularly feel drained, overwhelmed and off-balance when it comes to raising your kids? It’s hard for every parent, but when your children have tough behavioral problems, like ADHD, frequent defiance or other chronic acting-out behaviors, the task of raising them to adulthood can sometimes feel like you’re climbing a mountain without adequate supplies or the right equipment. This week, Erin...
Read More5 Insightful Things I’ve Learned about Parenting
While my lessons are invariably different than the parenting lessons you’ve received, I thought I would share five lessons that have become clear to me over the years. (My almost 19 year old son Kai – still a big kid!) You will never be finished learning about parenting. I have been a parent for almost 19 years now, and can you believe, I am still learning. I’ve read oodles and oodles of parenting books, and I’m still learning. Just like relationships, parenting...
Read MoreWhat I Learned from Supernanny About Bedtime Battles
Believe it or not, last night was the first night I have ever watched Supernanny. I’ve heard so many mothers talk about the show, and I happened to catch a preview of the show that caught me by surprise. So after watching one of my favorite shows, Shark Tank, I settled in to see what Supernanny was all about. After watching her coach a mom and dad of a 5 year old girl, and a set of triplets to gain control of their children, I thought maybe I would give one of her techniques a...
Read MoreA New Mom’s Guide to Thriving with Her New Baby
It was 18 years ago when I brought home my first baby from the hospital. I’ll never forget the day. It was July 2, 1991 and I slowly walked out of the hospital with no shoes because my ankles were so swollen. Feeling the pain of my episiotomy, I placed my son Kai in a car seat we borrowed from a friend. It wasn’t an infant car seat like the ones we have today, so the huge car seat swallowed up all 6 pounds, 14 ounces of him. Looking at his tiny body all scrunched up, and thinking about how...
Read More
Our Sponsors
