Living Imperfectly With Great Delight
Being a therapist is so intimate. In session, some people are more honest and open with me than they are with pretty much anyone else in their lives. I get to hear the sound of their internal dialogue. You know, the inner voices that we all have which are constantly...
Dare to be Daring
"Every time I’ve stepped out of my self-imposed box, I’ve felt more alive, like I’m living the life I’m meant to live." I’ve been a “good girl” and responsible mother. I’ve lived plenty of my life following the rules. But when I look back over my years, the parts that...
In case you thought I had this all figured out! 😂
Raising a child all the way to adulthood sure can come with unexpected twists and turns. Having been through some rough patches in raising my own kids, I’ve developed a parenting practice that I call “arms wide open” when it comes to parenting teens. During...
A Valentine’s Day to Remember
Valentine’s Day when I was 32 was my most memorable Valentine’s Day ever. I spent it pacing halls, phenomenally uncomfortable. I did a lot of waiting. My project was going well and then lagged; I was sorely disappointed. I went about it a different way, trying to...
Why are you talking?
It was later than I wanted to be awake on a weeknight and yet there I was, in the kitchen arguing. Somehow I had gotten myself sucked in and was fully engaged with an unreasonable 14 year old boy. Truth be told, I probably wasn’t about to win any awards for being very reasonable myself. I had offered to help him with his paper until 10:30. He started working on it at 10:20. I wanted to be a good mom so I stayed up, begrudgingly. It would have been better if I had kept my word and gone to bed.
Starting with the end in mind
I see so many good, loving parents who pour themselves into providing everything their child could need. Those same parents express frustration with their kids’ entitlement and lack of discipline. “Unappreciative” is a word that comes up often. I see parents who worry...
Where is my village?
When my girlfriend gave me this dishtowel, I laughed and said in tears, “Yah, the number was 303-7&5-0$21.” That was her number when my kids were young. That was my helpline when I needed to know if I was being too hard or too soft with my boys. I called that...
Hearing comes naturally. Listening takes practice.
One of the ingredients in a close, connected family is that its members feel seen, heard and known. To really hear what someone is saying is a science and an art. Let’s talk! How about jumping on a live for a chat this afternoon about what gets in the way of really...