Search Results for: blog letting go or giving up

Potty Learning On The Go

Tomorrow, the boys and I are headed out of town for the weekend. We are going to Maine to stay at my husband’s parents’ cottage, which just happens to be located less than an hour from the town where my favorite fair is being held this weekend. The trip would take about six hours, if we drove non stop. I have no idea how long it will actually take us, nor do I have any expectations of getting there at a certain time. You see, this trip could take a while because Dylan is on an important journey of his … Continue reading →

Letting Go or Giving Up?

Virtually every parent of a teenager experiences turbulence. Sometimes it’s just a little bump in the road. It may not be a serious issue or it may not last long. But then there are other times when the turbulence tends to go on. The issues could be very serious, causing a lot of upset in the family. I personally know parents who have gone through mild and severe turbulence with their teens. I have my own experience with it. But what I am beginning to notice is that some parents are confusing “letting go” with giving up. What does it … Continue reading →

Stand Up for Yourself Already, Cinderella

Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella,” the particular version of the story adapted by Walt Disney, is another fairy-tale-as-morality-lesson. Disney ditches The Brothers Grimm when he makes “Cinderella;” even more strangely the credits cite Perrault’s story as the “original,” when in fact the rags-to-riches trope is an ancient and global motif. Even ignoring that the Brothers’ Grimm version predates Perrault’s. The reason I’m so fixated on the issue of adaptation is because I found Perrault’s “Cinderella” odious. The main moral (which cannot be mistaken; the end of the story is followed by an explanatory poem titled “Moral”) is that it doesn’t really matter … Continue reading →

Golden Sky by EC Stilson

To call this a book is to do it an injustice. Golden Sky is Elisa’s journal, with her heart laid bare on each page, every raw and real emotion dealt with in black and white. As a parent my biggest fear has always been something happening to my child. I know that’s a fear for most parents. I cannot imagine being nineteen and finding out my baby had problems so severe that he may not make it. That’s what happened to Elisa. Already the parent of a very young child and expecting her second when she received the worst news … Continue reading →

Letting It Go

When it comes to letting go, we all have our unique difficulties. One of mine is the letting go of my house. I find it nearly impossible to allow myself the chance to rest when I truly need it. Instead, all I see are the things that need to be done. The past week has been a little stressful. Not only have I been sick, but I was also the host for Thanksgiving this year. Then there are the expectations that the weekend after Thanksgiving, I put up the Christmas tree and decorations. I had a lot on my plate … Continue reading →

Putting Kids to Work During Thanksgiving Break

When you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 30 guests, there’s no room for pride. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in the kitchen… and other parts of the house. One of the biggest mistakes stressed out parents make during the chaotic countdown to turkey carving is letting their kids run around aimlessly when they could be helping with a myriad of holiday preparations. For example, even very young kids, can lend a hand when it comes to crafting decorations for your Turkey Day feast. Simply line a table with newspaper and let kids go to town making their own … Continue reading →

Giving In

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Last night my daughter had the meltdown of all meltdowns. It was time to sit down to dinner and while she wanted to eat, she didn’t want to sit in her chair in the kitchen. Now, she’s not even two. So while she does understand most of what I say, I don’t think she was getting the whole concept of sitting down at the table and eating, since on occasion she has had a snack in the living room. The screaming was so intense that I took her out of the chair but she kept trying to grab food off … Continue reading →

Saying No Can Be Good for Your Health (and Sanity)

I hate saying no. It makes me feel bad. It makes me feel guilty. It makes me feel like I’m letting someone down. To the recipient of the no, it’s probably not that big a deal. They find someone else to ask, and maybe that someone else says yes. Or they find out that they didn’t really need help after all, and get it done without help. My schedule is getting a little crazy this week. I’ve had plans for this Friday for a few weeks now, but suddenly I’ve been asked for my time on Thursday and Saturday, too. … Continue reading →

Love is Giving.

‘You can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving,’ so says the positive thought in our local newsletter. Think about it. I believe it’s true. We can give and do things out of a sense of duty or because we think we’re supposed to. But it’s not love. But when we love someone we want to show it by giving. I don’t necessarily mean by giving gifts, though at times that may be appropriate. It might be more a case of giving your time to help your spouse or do something that they want. It might be giving … Continue reading →

Wagging My Tail Goodbye to the Pets Blog

I’m sitting in my office looking out the window watching the snow melt from the rooftops and bushes as I’m writing this. Last night we got measureable snow, a bit of an oddity in December for us here in Nashville. Whenever we get snow like this now I think about the first winter I was writing for Families.com. We got snow one February and I took Murph outside to play in it, then wrote about it as my blog for the day later. How much inspiration I’ve drawn from my pets over the past two years since I first began … Continue reading →