Posted on April 11, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
How can the sun always be on fire? Where does the fire come from? asks E, my five year old son. I don’t know, I say. Good question. Papa Dave will know. He’s tall so he knows everything, asserts E. – Conversation at our house last week At all ages and stages, kids admire and …
Posted on April 4, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
Your children are not your children They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself… You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. – Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923 Parenting in the year 2013 is a great balancing act. We know that the fear …
Posted on March 28, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
If it is his privilege to be independent, it is equally his duty to be inter-dependent. ― Mahatma Gandhi All children have to deal with and understand the paradox of separateness and connection, of individuality and belonging. In utero, babies have no sense of separation. They are physically connected to Mom through the very liquid …
Posted on March 21, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in the movement there is life, and in change there is power. – Alan Cohen How …
Posted on March 7, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and out, about to lose, and out of time. – Anne Lamott Rewarding but challenging, comebacks can be difficult to come by when you are in a conflict situation. The following comeback formula can be a powerful retort with great grandmas, in-laws, dads, …
Posted on February 14, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
Love yourself first and everything else falls in line. – Lucille Ball There were so many interesting reader reactions to last week’s article on “Unconditional Love and Attention” that I felt it was important to take the issue one step further this week. One reader asked, “Isn’t unconditional love of self a pre-condition or critical …
Posted on February 7, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
Accept the children the way we accept trees — with gratitude, because they are a blessing — but do not have expectations or desires. You don’t expect trees to change, you love them as they are. – Isabel Allende In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d write about our love for our children and …
Posted on January 31, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
Too often we give our children answers to remember rather than problems to solve. – Roger Lewin What do you know about the biggest creatures on earth? What nighttime dream do you remember most vividly? Why do you think you remember it? What super power would you like to have? When have you been most …
Posted on January 24, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
“I think of discipline as the continual everyday process of helping a child learn self-discipline.” – Fred Rogers The responders to the question “How do you teach children self-control?” provided lots of rich ideas. In addition to theirs, I have added some ways you can teach your children self-control in your day-to-day life. I’ve separated …
Posted on January 17, 2013 by confidentparentsconfidentkids
We are the hero of our own story. – Mary McCarthy In the hero’s journey, an ordinary person is called through extraordinary circumstances to sacrifice a part of him or herself in order to serve the greater good. In doing so, the reward or victory is self knowledge and a demonstration of character that the …
© Copyright, 2026, Jennifer Smith Miller. All rights reserved.
© Copyright, 2023, Jennifer Smith Miller. All rights reserved.