Loving and Learning in the Nest
I remember the day I posted a cute photo of my daughter in a fashion group online.She was barely six and had dressed herself in a dress that I wore with a semi-toothless grin in the 80's. Her emerging fashion sense told her to pair the dress with a denim vest and sparkly shoes….that were on the wrong foot. You would not believe how quickly people noticed the misplaced shoes. Some people didn't Read More
Earlier this evening, I helped my daughter (almost 7) clean her room. As I hung up a getting-too-small dress in her closet, an adage that I've heard dozens of times popped into my head: Don't do anything for your kids that they can do for themselves. I was uncomfortable the first time I read those words, and have been uncomfortable with them every time an older mother, as well-adjusted as her Read More
If you want to make habit training a habit, then family meetings are really helpful. But, these family meetings should focus on habits, and not just the typical “state of the family” meetings that many people hold. According to The Center for Parenting Education, a non-profit organization, holding regular family meetings supports family bonding, helps children develop higher Read More
If you've been hanging around with My Little Robins for awhile, you may have heard me make this analogy before. And, if you were a fourth grader in my class several years ago, you heard this analogy, too, that I made up to help you understand synaptic pruning and other concepts of habit training. I think this analogy is helpful, and I wanted to flesh out the similarities between habit training and Read More
I closed my journal, an exasperated sigh escaping my lips. I had read an entry from September 2016- more than a year and a half ago. Scratched in a sparkly pen were the words, "Grow in gentleness. Be more patient. Live more intentionally with my children." I could have written those words yesterday. But instead, a year and a half had passed, and despite prayer and seeking the Lord in Read More
