My laugh lines deepen every week. I know I'm in for a spiritual facelift when I spend time in my son's fourth grade class. I help the students with writing, and as with everything that centers around children, they teach me more than I teach them. These students are astute, … [Read more...] about What Matters to Kids Today
children
Advocate2Vaccinate During World Immunization Week
Don't google images of children with polio. Consider this a warning. You just googled "children with polio," didn't you? It's hard to imagine life before the polio vaccine. My father in law had polio as a child. Most of people in the women's groups I speak to have lost a … [Read more...] about Advocate2Vaccinate During World Immunization Week
Thankful for Shots
We have a long-standing family tradition to say our thank you's before dinner. Instead of saying grace, we hold hands and each share something we are thankful for from our day. The only rule is we cannot say we are thankful for a material object. Last weekend, oddly enough, we … [Read more...] about Thankful for Shots
Eyes Up, Phones Down
I'm going to say something very unpopular here. Prepare for a get-off-mah-lawn rant...I'm tired of kids with cell phones. I'm tired of seeing kids with their fingers pushing buttons or their faces in a screen all the time. I'm tired of the lack of eye contact and reliance on a … [Read more...] about Eyes Up, Phones Down
Writing Prompts for Family Travel Abroad
There's a tin sign perched over a door frame in my family room. It reads "Home -- Where your story begins." I'm heading home, in a sense, though I'll be a stranger in my homeland. We are about to embark on an epic journey. Unlike kids these days, I don't use the word epic … [Read more...] about Writing Prompts for Family Travel Abroad
Goodbye to a Life Too Short, Yet Very Sweet
She griggled when I met her. That's a grin + a giggle. She pointed to her foot and said, "Shoe." I knew I liked this kid. She was two. She was awaiting a bone marrow transplant. I spent ten years volunteering with pediatric bone marrow transplant patients. They gave me more … [Read more...] about Goodbye to a Life Too Short, Yet Very Sweet
Be Someone’s Safe Person
"Mommy, even though it's a different time now than when you were a kid, I don't think kids today would say if they are gay." And so began one of our typical car pool conversations. Mac Daddy and I have always been candid with our children. We talk about myriad … [Read more...] about Be Someone’s Safe Person