Raising triplets came with all kinds of challenges. It was 1978, and I had never known anyone who had triplets. So, we muddled through the best we could. That included making sure our three kids had three separate lives, including separate birthday parties each year, being in separate classes in school, separate sports teams, followed by attending three different high schools and, finally, three different colleges all over the country. You can imagine our parental horror to learn that two of … [Read more...] about So Many Disappointments; It’s Time for Lemonade
Attachment
Fathering is Interactive
On a recent Saturday morning, my husband and I found ourselves at the local park, right in the middle of Little League play offs. Déjà vu! It was thrilling to relive our now grown kids’ baseball days in the park—cheers echoing across the field, coaches calling out plays, dust from the infield coating our faces, the ecstasy of the hit, the agony of the dropped fly ball. The commissioner of Little League, 25 years in the role, inhaled the moment with us. It’s changed in so many ways, he then … [Read more...] about Fathering is Interactive
How Will Your Kids Remember You?
I’ve just returned from a funeral. A friend’s husband, father of five, died way before his time was up. And it was a five Kleenex affair. My mirror neurons, the ones that make you match the emotions of others, were hard at work. (You know when someone yawns, and you yawn? Those are your mirror neurons.) But the tsunami of tears I experienced went beyond my sympathy or empathy. They started when his children then his wife spoke about their father/husband. Each of the kids, now grown and … [Read more...] about How Will Your Kids Remember You?
When a Vacation is a Trip
Summer time and the livin’ is easy…well, sort of. The Dog Days are laced with so many expectations—relaxed schedules, lazy days, warm evening bar-b-ques, no homework, lighter responsibilities, and vacations. Many parents have memories of fabulous family vacations from their youth. And for the kids, vacations are usually just that— fabulous! But that’s not always the case for mom and dad. Do you know the difference between a vacation and a trip? A trip is what you do with children; a … [Read more...] about When a Vacation is a Trip
Let’s Hear it for Sleepovers!
First Night Away From Home (Franklin Watts, 1960) was one of the many books written by mother, Myra Berry Brown. In this sweet story, we follow 5 year old Stevie from proudly packing his suitcase to noticing, as bedtime gets closer, that “David’s room looked different at night.” Some parts of the book are laughably outdated, like a 5 year old walking alone to his friend’s house, a few blocks away. Not in today’s world, unfortunately. But so much about this story still rings true. Sleepovers … [Read more...] about Let’s Hear it for Sleepovers!
Sleep-Away Camp Separations
Way back in February you sent in the deposit. Sleep-away camp, here we come! It was going to be fantastic—swimming in the lake, roasting marshmallows by the campfire, pillow fights in the cabin. Just weeks before opening day, your son’s excitement fills the air. I get to go away for two whole weeks! No school! No chores! No sister getting on my nerves! No parents to bug me! Then, as you’re ironing on the last of name labels, he wanders in and quietly asks, “What if I’m homesick?” Reality … [Read more...] about Sleep-Away Camp Separations