Lazy Days of Summer

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. – Sam Keen As school ends and summer begins, we are sitting outside and dreaming of the many delights the season brings. We have big plans to read, swim, blow bubbles, build sandcastles, catch fireflies and sit and watch the clouds. Last year, I put together a summer …

Say What?

When you really listen to another person from their point of view, and reflect back to them that understanding, it’s like giving them emotional oxygen. – Stephen Covey Most parents, particularly with young children, may feel like they are listening all day long. Because children are exploring the world around them, they may have many …

The Chance to Wait

I grew up with six brothers. That’s how I learned to dance – waiting for the bathroom. – Bob Hope “Are we there yet?” This is the common refrain from the backseat on the long road trip to Grammy’s house. We “moo” at the cows. We examine the red barns. We talk about the funny …

The Inherently Creative Family

There are moments in our lives, there are moments in a day, when we seem to see beyond the usual. Such are the moments of our greatest happiness. Such are the moments of our greatest wisdom. If one could but recall his vision by some sort of sign. It was in this hope that the …

Spring Presence

The sun is nervous as a kite that can’t quite keep its own string tight. Some days are fair, and some are raw. The timid earth decides to thaw. Shy budlets peep from twigs on trees, and robins join the chickadees. Pale crocuses poke through the ground like noses come to sniff around. The mud …

Forgiveness

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. – Mahatma Gandhi “Sammy took my Star Wars Lego out of my hand today at indoor recess. But I forgave him. He loves them too.” relayed my six year old son last week. “How do you know about forgiveness?” I asked surprised. “Because …

Responsible Decision Making

I heard the news today, oh boy… – “A Day in the Life,” The Beatles When national or local news reports a situation in which a person has made a harmful choice effecting children’s lives, I begin to go down the black hole of worry. The dangers that my son faces as he goes about …

Transitions

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.  – Alan Watts From waking up to eating breakfast, playing with toys to going to school, homework time to dinner time, transitions punctuate every day. Because we are creatures of inertia (remember “a body …

The Mask of Anger

Anger is just anger. It isn’t good. It isn’t bad. It just is. What you do with it is what matters. It’s like anything else. You can use it to build or to destroy. You just have to make the choice. – Jim Butcher, White Night Yesterday, the teachers at E’s school decided to have …

Boundaries

Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others. – Brene Brown Boundary lines define the playing field. They outline the perimeter and if you step outside, you are, at least temporarily, out of the game. Emotional boundaries operate in the same way. They are the …