Six-year old Bobby walks into the kitchen from playing soccer. Bobby’s dad, Tom, had asked Bobby to take off his muddy shoes before entering the house. Red Georgia mud dotted the new hallway and den carpet. When Tom sees the footprints, he is furious about the mess and that Bobby had disobeyed him. “Bobby,” Tom […]
“Lisa is so different from Grace. Grace never broke anything when she was this age. Lisa breaks something every day,” Meg told me at our playgroup with our one-year olds. Meg, a long-time friend, was over 30 when she had her first child. Five-year-old Grace lived up to her name. Grace was gentle and content to […]
Dr. Robert Shaw in his book, The Epidemic, tells us that there are two “emotional vitamins” we can provide for our children: clear structure and clear expectations. How do we go about giving our children these two important items? Let’s look at why children need clear structure. An environment with transparent organization provides the child […]
“Pretend that you just found out that you’ll have to be in a wheelchair for a year, possibly longer. What adjustment would you have to make to your home to accommodate this change? ” the instructor asked us. “ This week, crawl around your house, through every room, and make a list of changes that you would make. That’s […]
“I can’t tell you ‘cause you’re a dolt,” Kenny said through his sniffles. “A dolt?” I thought. What did I do to be called a dolt by a kindergartner in my Sunday school class? I took a deep breath and ventured into unknown territory. “Kenny, what do you mean, a dolt?” “You know, a grown-up.” “Oh, […]
Mornings are cooler. The sun rises later. The excitement of school beginning wafts in the air. These are my memories when school started in mid-September. In two weeks, school resumes here, and for many young children, it will be their first school experience. The first day of preschool or kindergarten is probably more traumatic for […]