I started back to fulltime, in-office work this week, for the first time in over three years. To be honest, my emotions over this transition have swung back and forth like a pendulum: Anxiety. Excitement. Guilt. Pride. Eagerness. Dread. (What? Your pendulum is a little less extreme than mine?) Well, it’s…
I am what they call a true middle child. I am the second of three kids with an older sister and a younger brother. If you aren’t a middle child, let me give you some insight into what it’s like. When my family dropped off my sister to begin her freshman year of…
Posted by Sarah Anderson | Three years ago, when I found out I was pregnant with my second boy, I was relieved. I already had one, so the immediate thought in my mind was, “I got this. I know boys. This will be my oldest son—version 2.0.” But literally, from the moment I was able…
As soon as a child is born, we start measuring, don’t we? The number of fingers and toes. Height and weight. Number of wet diapers. Weeks and months. And my personal favorite, number of hours slept in a row. As they get older, that kind of counting doesn’t stop, it just changes—usually into…
Posted by Sarah Anderson | On a good morning, the bananas I give my boys to eat don’t have any brown spots, the color plate they request is clean, the eggs are cooked just past the sliminess stage, their favorite shirts aren’t at the bottom of the dirty clothes hamper and every request I make…
I thought I raised my children well. They seemed like good kids. But then, a few months ago, my oldest son did the unthinkable. The most thoughtless, unimaginable thing he’s ever done. He moved out. I probably should have been expecting it. After all, he’s 21. But I’d done a pretty good…
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with Superman. Seriously! I still remember the day my parents handed me a box from Sears and Roebuck that contained a red cape, blue tights with a red-and-yellow “S” shield on the chest. When I put it on, something magical happened. It transformed me from a shy…
Dan Scott has extensively researched the power of story. In this episode, he talks with Kristen Ivy about how kids are wired to use stories, even fictional stories, to help them process the world around them, to learn empathy, and to gain perspective. Parents can use stories to teach important life principles and start…
“I sorry.” When those words are delivered by the high-pitched voice of a child, they melt you. Of course I’ll forgive you, you think. How could I not? Even if there is a huge mess behind her. Bookcases are knocked over. The dog is barking. The cat is perched on top of the chandelier. A…
Our family has officially entered the wasteland of carpooling. Not familiar with that? Allow me to explain. There comes a time in your child’s life when they’re old enough to have lots of activities but young enough that they can’t drive yet. You, as the parent, find yourself trapped in a never ending…