A couple of years ago, when I was in the middle of a very hard parenting season and feeling totally inadequate, a friend said to me, “You would never let any of your friends talk about themselves like this. Treat yourself the way you treat us.” She was right. I’d… Read More →

When our oldest was three, we signed her up for soccer. My husband proudly took her out on a date to get shin guards and a tiny ball, and I made soccer mom jokes on Instagram. Two minutes into her first practice we discovered we’d made a terrible mistake. She… Read More →

She knew which group she was in at an early age. She was one of the good kids. Every one told her so. Her position was high ranking. She fulfilled the role in good standing and who wouldn’t want to maintain that? So her deeds, her testing, her trying, her… Read More →

Did you know that when a butterfly is only a chrysalis, still wrapped up in its cocoon, it looks all protected and comfy, but it is actually busy at work long. Little by little, that chrysalis is stretching its wings as it pushes against its cocoon casing with anticipation for… Read More →

I started babysitting when I was twelve. It just fit. I am the oldest of three by a long shot, which taught me to be hyper-responsible early in life, and I am naturally endowed with a generous dose of, shall we say, leadership abilities. I have always enjoyed children, and… Read More →

We want more. We want more stuff. We want more “likes” on Facebook. We want more friends. We want more vacation time. And yes, we want more for our kids. But how can we realistically raise compassionate kids content with less when they’re constantly being told more is better? It… Read More →

Kindergarten is hard. At our elementary school it’s seven long, jam-packed hours. That time is filled with phonics and P.E. and art projects and math games and the fascinating (to me) navigation of six-year-old social dynamics. By the time my six-year-old gets home, she is spent. But it’s not time… Read More →

We have had quite a year…wait, it hasn’t even been a year. Nine months. It’s only been nine months since the real chaos began. The circumstances of our family’s life have changed drastically since July of 2014, and I find that as a mama of three, I am bone tired… Read More →

In about two weeks, my little girl is going to turn thirty. Thirty. How did that happen? It can’t have been that long ago I carried my tiny baby girl home from the hospital, can it? It can. If you’ve got little ones at home I know it seems hard… Read More →

I was pulling out of the parking lot of my children’s school when I saw her. Walking along the sidewalk, she carried a baby around her chest, pulled a wagon holding a toddler and led a dog with her only free hand. She reminded me of Annie Sullivan. Annie Sullivan… Read More →