13 THINGS STRONG KIDS DO by Amy Morin (Book Excerpt)


Chapter 2: They Empower Themselves Jayden woke up on his last day of summer vacation wishing he could make his break last just a little longer. Tomorrow was his first day of junior high, and he was dreading it. Not too long ago, he actually liked school. He got good grades and ...

Scattered Pictures of the Smiles We Left Behind by Sharon O’Donnell


As Father's Day approaches, I've been going through the old 8mm films and VHS tapes that my dad has taken of family and friends over the years. We are so blessed that he was ahead of the game when he bought that 8mm camera with the big bright lights on ...

GUEST BLOG POST: Limiting Screen Time While Keeping Your Relations with Your Child Intact by Cynthia Gill, Co-Author, JUMP-STARTING BOYS


What is more important than the relationship with our children? I can’t think of too many things. But most parents make one of several mistakes. The first is they tend to focus more on the behavior than the child’s heart, correcting in ways that do not nurture the relationship. Punitive, ...

When the Kids Love Preschool More Than You by Melissa Swedoski


Monday was the official start of school here in Texas. Since the babysitter we had employed was returning to college, we made the big decision to send the girls to preschool. Well, sort of. After looking at several "institutional" sites and several "in-home" places, we opted to go with an ...

Remember the Time …..? By Robin Sydney Wallace


Many years ago, I had a friend who, whenever I would start to talk or tell a story, would interrupt me before I got through the first sentence and say, “Wait a minute, Robin. You forgot to say which way the wind was blowing.” It sounds a little bit like ...

Finding a Pwesent for Dada by Melissa Swedoski


If you go trolling around the Internet - you know, for fun in your spare time - you'll find a lot of information on being a mom. Meaning, more information than you ever wanted to know on more topics than you ever thought possible. Turns out, the same can almost ...

Adventures in Attachment Parenting Annie’s Mailbox by Allison Silver


This past week my hubby and I were looking through the local newspaper when he noticed a headline on one of the pages. The headline read, “Father is upset that wife allows three year old to sleep in parents bed.” Knowing this would intrigue me, he showed me the headline. ...