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Remember, Childhood Passes

There is no denying that parenthood can be a frustrated, exhausting time. There are those days when we just can’t muster the excitement or the patience to face another childhood crisis. I often have friends and others who share with me their exasperation over certain ages and stages and confess that they just don’t know how they are going to get through another day, week, sickness, birthday party, etc. All I can figure to tell them is that from my perspective here at the end of nearly two decades of parenting is that childhood passes, everything is temporary, and even … Continue reading →

Death of the Picture Book

There was an article in the New York Times called, Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children, on October 7th. The article detailed how picture books are selling less and many are being sent back to the publisher since they are merely taking up space. “So many of them just die a sad little death, and we never see them again,” said Terri Schmitz, the owner of Children’s Book Shop in Brookline, Mass. I was quite saddened to read this article. As a fan of picture books and children’s literature, I wondered how such a thing could happen. I … Continue reading →

7 Marks of the Mature Christian

What do you want to be when you grow up? As a child do you remember being asked that question? I do. What about your children? What are you hopes and dream for them? What do you want them to be when they grow up? Sometimes you will hear parents say, ‘I don’t care what they do; I just want my kids to be happy.’ And if we’re honest. We’d probably say we want that for ourselves too – to be happy. Growing up is hard, harder for some of us than others, it sometimes seems. Growing up as a … Continue reading →

Get Smart (2008)

Would you believe … that this is a great movie with a fitting tribute to the original series, but a refreshing look at intelligence and comedy all in one package? Get Smart is a fun film that combines intelligence, sight gags and physical humor blend together to create an entertaining film that doesn’t take itself seriously and doesn’t ask the audience to either. Popcorn Humor I enjoyed the original series when I was a kid. It was fun and it was funny. Barbara Feldon was easy to admire and aspire to as the smart, savvy and beautiful Agent 99. Agent … Continue reading →

Why Force It?

I hear from parent after parent who wants to know how to “force” a child to do something that he or she doesn’t want to do: force to take formula when he prefers breast milk (or vice versa), force to go to bed at a certain time, force to wear a certain type of clothes, force to play a specific sport or do an activity that he or she doesn’t like. I cannot help but wonder why all of these parents are working so hard to force something and wondering whether it is in the best interest of the child … Continue reading →

When They are the Most Unlovable–Love Harder

It really is not revolutionary parental advice to hold tight and be loving and accepting of our children even when they are at their most challenging. But it is much easier said than done. When kids are being extremely naughty, ugly, acting out, and being “unlovable”–we tend to wrack our brains trying to figure out disciplinary techniques and wonder what we should do to “fix it.” Sometimes, all we need to do is love their unlovable selves all the harder! You might be surprised, but sometimes just greeting our children’s unlovable behavior with genuine love and affection can be a … Continue reading →

Physical Accomplishments–When Did You Learn to Do That?

“Look at me!” and “Look what I can do!”—exclamations that any and every parent of a child older than two has probably heard hundreds of times. Taking pride in and getting attention for physical feats and accomplishments is just another one of those typical childhood phases… Cartwheels, somersaults, headstands, and back flips—somewhere around the preschool and early grade school years, kids seem to become obsessed with getting their bodies to do all sorts of feats and acts. Kicking, riding a bicycle, climbing a tree—it is as if it becomes a quest to see just how much they can accomplish with … Continue reading →