Raising Boys
It's the day after Christmas, and I'm working in the living room this morning, happily surrounded by my new books and the noise of our younger children playing. But there's the question: What are we going to do about all the new toys in the house? Here are some startling truths we've discovered in 23 years of parenting:…
A reader asked: As a mother of 4 young boys, (oldest is 10), we have a lot of furniture, walls, toys, etc destroyed in their wake. Is this normal for boys??? I feel like I can't have anything nice around. Dear Friend, I feel your pain! The frustrating part about raising girls is that they…
"I just don't understand! My sweet son is so temperamental lately." "It's like he's a different kid." "I don't understand the anger. What's that about?" "School used to be fun, but now it takes forever." "He acts so addled. Can't remember what I tell him for one minute." We hear it all the time. We've said it ourselves. We…
A few weeks ago, our son Matt came in and said, "Mom, you know it makes a guy feel good to take responsibility - to meet a need, to do something that matters. I had no idea how much fun it could be to be the one to take care of something." I think there…
Awhile back, something changed my attitude toward our children and their spending habits - and we are all better off for it. We were out and about somewhere and one of the children said, "Mama, I'd like to buy the family dessert!" It almost happened right then. I could feel the words forming in my mind…
This is Melanie. I am very shy. Okay, stop laughing! I'm serious! It's pretty hard to imagine, I'm sure, how someone who speaks every year to thousands of people, does radio interviews and web broadcasts and loves talking to people at our booth could possibly be shy, but it's true. I hate picking up the…
“We're off to spend a week tramping from college to college,” Melanie was telling an old friend. “Why would you do that?" she said. "Seems like a big waste of time and money.” But then, Melanie remembered the college visit that changed her life. She and her mother were parked beside the bell tower at a university…
One of the things I like best about homeschooling is the socialization. We went to institutional schools and remember how isolating it is - you hardly even know anyone who isn't your exact age, except a few the age of your brother or sister. I'd hardly ever even held a baby when our first was…
Is a college degree the one sure path to career success? My family always assumed I would go to college. For my first career, as an engineer, it was pretty much a given; when I moved from industry to consulting, it was a requirement for licensure. But with a down economy, rising costs, and the…
A mom came up after our session on raising boys, “My son is so frustrated and angry. He can’t understand why we won’t let him get his driver’s license, but he’s so immature still!” “How old is he?” I asked “Eighteen.” My eyebrows went up, “What is he planning to do next year?” “Oh, he’ll…
On Christmas Break, but
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