As I write this, we’ve had our new girls in our home for twenty days. Twenty glorious, noisy, dramatic, wonderful days. As parents for 26 years, John and I are used to noise, to mess, and to drama, but adopting teens from foster care takes this to a whole new level … in a good way. Currently, John… [Continue Reading]
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A Letter to Teen Moms | You Are Important
Today I am writing a letter to teen moms. I want to tell you that you are important. Today I want to share my heart with you. I’ve been where you are. So let’s talk. Yes, you are important. Importance means having meaning. There are many things that people feel are important for young… [Continue Reading]
Making Wise Media Choices Together (Printable!)
Today I am going to share with you how you can include your children and work on making wise media choices together. Making Wise Media Choices Together When I was a teen (wasn’t that, like, yesterday?) I thought I knew everything—especially what I would and wouldn’t do with my kids. I thought the… [Continue Reading]
How to Keep & Deepen Your Relationship With Your Teen Son
How to Keep & Deepen Your Relationship With Your Teen Son My 6-foot-tall son lumbers into the room and sinks onto the sofa. “So, I’ve been thinking about Chapter Two…” he says. I pause what I’m doing and we talk. We talk about fictional conflict, inciting incidents, and motivation—what the character wants more than anything…. [Continue Reading]
An Unexpected Life
Growing up I liked to imagine what my future would be like. I imagined living in the small, California town that I grew up in. I pictured getting married, having a few children, and teaching elementary school. None of that came true. Not even close. Growing up I liked to imagine what my future… [Continue Reading]
10 Ways to Ruin Your Kids Forever
10 Ways to Ruin Your Kids Forever There are all types of lists for parents. If you want a list to ruin your kids forever, here’s a list for you. 1. Give your kid everything he wants. Don’t deny what will truly make him happy. Overvalue money and things in his eyes. 2. Dress your… [Continue Reading]
What Makes a Man? Dirt!
What Makes a Man? Dirt! Little boys who play in dirt grow up to be big men who play in dirt . . . and I’m thankful for that! I’m a mom of three boys and three girls. I’m also the mom of a grandson and a granddaughter. We believe in being even-Steven around here…. [Continue Reading]
How You can Help Eliminate Teen Pregnancy
How You can Help Eliminate Teen Pregnancy Two questions are on our minds. If a teen finds herself pregnant are the parents to blame? Or should we point our fingers at the teen’s own bad choices? We ask because the issue hits home. Parents, want to help eliminate #teenpregnancy? Take some tips from @TriciaGoyer: Click To… [Continue Reading]
How to Deal with Disappointment
Dealing with disappointment is one of the hard things that comes from life. Seeing our kids deal with disappointment is even harder. Yet we know that in every person’s life there will be struggles, and the older our kids get, the bigger the problems. Ugh! John and I have always felt that one of the… [Continue Reading]
Finding Friendship at Teen MOPS (Plus a Giveaway!)
I attended my first MOPS group at my home church in Kalispell, Montana, in 1998. I was a mom of three young kids, and I loved hanging out with other women, getting to know them, and hearing wonderful speakers. OK, the crafts were good too. My second year of MOPS I was asked to speak…. [Continue Reading]
Teen Mom: Make Good Choices
You’ve made good choices already … trust that you will make more. Teens make good and bad decisions every day. Lots of them. Most aren’t as visible as teen pregnancy. Perhaps you think it’s unfair. Your choice is leading you to make choices you weren’t prepared for. You may not have been prepared to be… [Continue Reading]