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One Trick to Stop Nagging Now

Ever listen to a dripping faucet?  It can quickly become an annoyance.  But have you ever considered that maybe this is how we sound to our teens? Nagging is oftentimes attributed to wives.  We have somehow earned this stereotype.  Yet the reality is that parents can easily fall prey to this bad (and annoying) habit. Here’s what I think happens when we start nagging our teen.  Suddenly all they hear is the sound Charlie Brown’s teacher makes when she talks. In other words, we are incomprehensible.  Nothing is getting through because they stop hearing what we are saying. No wonder … Continue reading →

Your Child’s Safe Haven

I’m not exactly sure what time the world is supposed to end today.  But my guess is if you are reading this blog, the earth is still intact. It seems we can’t learn our lesson enough, previous predictions that have turned out to be oh-so-not-true.  Although, it seems more people are holding weight in the Mayan calendar running out. As if my teens didn’t have enough to worry about (no, they really didn’t think the world was going to end today), there were other attempts to wreck their last day of school before winter break.  Several threats of violence against … Continue reading →

One of My “Nevers” As a Parent

After reading fellow blogger Michele Cheplic’s “Hopefully Never,” I couldn’t help but think about all of the things I would never allow my children to do. And these aren’t even “big” issues like getting on a commercial airplane by themselves. I’m talking about the “smaller” stuff, the things that sometimes my teens really balk at and can’t understand why. But it doesn’t matter; there are just some things I will never do. The latest one that has my 12-year-old son very frustrated is that I won’t allow him to go over to a friend’s house from school unless I meet … Continue reading →

What Are Your Parenting Decisions Based On?

I was recently thinking about a couple of decisions that my husband and I had to make concerning two of our children. In one situation the decision was favorable for that child but for the other it wasn’t. They were two entirely different circumstances but it got me thinking about the motivation behind the decisions we make as parents. Have you ever really thought about what motivates you to make a decision? Sometimes you are motivated by your mood at the moment. If you are in a bad mood, you might be quick to make a decision that you wouldn’t … Continue reading →

When Teens Start to Break Away

Last week I blogged about taking a break from your teen and how that is sometimes necessary. It had been kind of a rough couple of weeks, so it seemed to be good timing that my teen daughter was going away for the weekend. I was surprised at myself that I was also looking forward to the break. Usually when my daughter goes away for more than a day, I am missing her. But my thought that I wouldn’t miss her didn’t last long…just a few hours into her being gone; I started to wish she was home. Navigating through … Continue reading →

The Spy Who Loves Me

This past week I attended a parenting class at my church. We are actually watching a video series that incorporates discussion time. I can’t recall the exact wording of the question but we were asked something that had to do with discovering things about our children. I had whispered to my husband, “I spy.” He smiled and told me I should share that with the class. I hesitated for several moments. I wasn’t sure what other parents think about spying on their children. It’s not something you really talk about. I didn’t want to come across as being a nosey … Continue reading →

Teens and Bedrooms: A Place to Escape

It’s not uncommon to hear parents of teens complain that all they do is spend time in their bedroom. The door closes and the next thing all you hear is music thumping. It can sometimes feel like your teen is closing the door in your face but most of the time, it is their way of escaping the world. A couple of summers ago our family became foster parents to two young children. They lived in our home from June through September. It was during that time we began to call my oldest son’s room his “cave.” That’s because the … Continue reading →

Teens Should Feel Safe, Not Suffocated

Most of my children are pretty good about sharing things with me. Granted they tend to do that less as they grow older but I still get those moments where they are willing to really open up. However I have one child in particular who is like a clam. It is extremely difficult to get anything out of him. He will make it very obvious or clear that something is wrong but that’s as far as it goes. I have been known to badger my child for days on end to try and find out what is wrong. But I … Continue reading →