Cleaning Or Playing, Decisions, Decisions

No one wants to live in an overwhelmingly messy house. For me, it’s stressful if the house is a mess. It’s also stressful to always be nagging my daughter about picking up after herself. I did feel it was my job to teach her to clean up after herself, I just never enjoyed that particular battle. When Hailey was small I had to accept that my house was going to have that lived in look. There are just not enough hours in the day to do everything. One lesson I learned early in my single parenthood was to pick my … Continue reading

You Might Have to Kiss a Few Frogs

Dating after a divorce has got to be one of the most difficult things out there. How soon is too soon? When should I introduce them to my children? How will I know if they are the right one? What if we break up? What if my children don’t like him? There are just so many questions and so few answers. Every situation is different, there is no one right answer. You have to trust yourself to make those decisions, which isn’t always easy. The pressure to make the right decision can be unbearable at times. When I first started … Continue reading

Lessons Learned

My ex husband and I met in high school. I had dated a lot, but being so young, I wasn’t particularly concerned about whether or not they were marriage material; I was too young to get married anyway. I had been warned to make good dating choices, but I was young and inexperienced, so like most teenagers, I didn’t realize the importance of those decisions quite yet. About a year after graduation we decided to get married. Neither of us really knew what we wanted in a spouse, it just seemed like the right thing so we got married and … Continue reading

Discipline and Learning

What punishment works best with your child? All children are different and they all respond differently to things. When Hailey was younger her favorite thing in the world was reading. If she broke a rule and I had to come up with a consequence, none of them really bothered her. No TV? That’s ok, I’ll just read. No video games? That’s ok, I’ll just read. Grounded to the house for two weeks? That’s ok, I’ll just read. It was so frustrating, after all, you really can’t ground a child from reading, well, you could, but what kind of parent would … Continue reading

Allowing Teens to Learn from Their Mistakes

I think one of the most painful things to deal with as a parent is allowing your child to make mistakes. Now this isn’t the way every person parents. Some choose to exert so much control over their children’s lives that there is no room for mistakes to happen. But I tend to think this isn’t actually good for a child. At the same time, I struggle with allowing my children to make mistakes. Despite the necessity of it at times, I would much rather protect them from such. But I am beginning to really learn the importance of sometimes … Continue reading

Common Money Mistakes That Women Make

Did you know that men and women tend to make different kinds of mistakes when it comes to managing their money? While people of both genders certainly enjoy financial success, both men and women makes mistakes with their money. Suze Orman has come out with some advice that is tailored specifically towards women and the mistakes that tend to trip them up when it comes to their finances. According to Suze Orman, the root of the problem is that women have been taught, either consciously or subconsciously (including by example) to not manage their money. The result is that they … Continue reading

Learning To Trust Yourself

As a parent you want nothing but the best for your children. You love them more than anything in this world and you want to make sure that you make the best possible decisions for them. You set aside your own needs and wants because they are your number one priority. I felt so guilty after my divorce. I thought about how my decision to marry my ex husband had affected our son. How that decision changed his life forever and caused him to go through such a traumatic experience at such a young age. I was overcome with guilt … Continue reading

Your Teen May Have Had a “Near Miss” Accident

Typically, teenagers are not thought to be the safest, most reliable, drivers on the road. Some teenagers, of course, might be excellent drivers, but most of them are not. A study reveals that majority of teens have had a “near miss” experience while driving. There are many reasons why teenagers are not usually very good at driving. It’s difficult to be good at a skill that you are still learning how to do, and have not had much experience with. Teenagers tend to be more impulsive than older adults, and this includes when they are driving. Not all parents allow … Continue reading

What Do We Have in Common?

Perhaps it’s just been my experience, but I’ve noticed that homeschool parents and public school parents seem inclined to think of the differences between themselves rather than their similarities. This can lead to feelings of “us” and “them,” and inhibits us from making close friendships with those around us who might have chosen a different educational philosophy. I’d like to take a minute to focus on the things we have in common. 1. We love our children immensely. Regardless of where our children go to school, we love them with all our hearts and we feel responsible for them and … Continue reading

Teens Need Rules But They Also Need Freedoms

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is many times not a difficult thing for parents to mete out. What can be more challenging is also giving teenagers their freedoms. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However some issues are non-negotiable and require firm rules. For instance rules should be established concerning a curfew, the ability to drive the family car or even in dating. In each family the logistics of those rules will vary but they should be established and then discussed. I will admit that I have no problem coming up … Continue reading