Attitude
Training a Pessimist
My younger daughter is supposed to have a substitute teacher today. Last night as she was going to bed, she was telling me all about the “mean” substitute she is supposed to have today. My daughter’s first instinct in any situation is to look for the flaws. That’s not always a bad trait. People who … Continue reading
Hitting the Reset Button
My older daughter doesn’t care much for math this year. It’s a hard class. It’s frustrating for her to have to study so much just to get a decent grade. It’s been a new experience for her. My husband and I want her to do well, but I’m not much of a math guru. I … Continue reading
What I’ve Learned from a Chronic Illness
Twelve years ago, I woke up one morning to a knee swollen to twice its normal size. Having worked in the yard the day before, I just assumed I had tweaked my knee — until my hands and shoulders started hurting. It hurt to walk. It hurt to move. Some days, it seemed like … Continue reading
5 Tips for Helping Kids Resolve Conflict
We’re navigating some tricky friendship waters around our house these days. My younger daughter is having trouble getting along with one of my older daughters good friends. These girls spend a lot of time together, so it’s important that they get along. We’ve been letting the girls try to work things out themselves, but the … Continue reading
Mastering Mornings
I’m a morning person. I get up at 5:30 every morning. I’m one of those people who wakes up in a good mood. My girls are usually morning people too. They might be slow to start, but once they’re up, they’re usually in a pretty decent mood. About a month ago, though, I noticed that … Continue reading
Can the Complaining
Neither of my girls are big fans of school. There are a lot of reasons for this. They’re both active kids who don’t really like to sit still. Neither of them enjoys the drama that enters into girl relationships. They’re both smart kids who don’t really enjoy the slow pace of learning in a large … Continue reading
Learning to Lose
She sat in the locker room dejected. Frustrated, sad, angry tears rolled down her face. This wasn’t how we wanted the day to end. Her hockey team had lost it’s first tournament — with a minute left in overtime. They had played so well. They had played so hard. This little team that no one … Continue reading
Reclaiming ‘No, Thank You’
My girls were squabbling again. Sometimes, it seems like that’s all they do. That sisterly love thing seems to get lost more often than it gets put into practice. And I’ve had just about enough. I know that siblings argue. I know that there were times I couldn’t stand to be in the same room … Continue reading
Teaching Humility and Compassion
We had a joyous moment around here on Friday. The list of players for the hockey select team came out, and my younger daughter’s name was on it. Ever since we told her she couldn’t play travel hockey, this has been her goal. The select team is like a mini travel team. They travel four … Continue reading
It’s Not About Rules
This weekend my cousin’s wife and I were talking about our kids. We both have a child who requires explicit instructions on what to do with no room for loopholes. We talked about how hard we had to think when telling those kids to do something or not do something so that we leave no … Continue reading
