My seven-year-old son, Cooper, and I had a Rocky marathon in December and it changed his life. For Christmas he got a speed bag which he regularly tries to tear out of the wall with his vicious punches. He figured out how to play Eye of the Tiger on the piano with one finger. We walked in one night to find he’d pushed the two couches together, put on his gym shorts, taken off his shirt, and queued up the... Read more
We hiked around the rim of the Masaya volocano outside Granada, Nicaragua today. It was, as volcanos tend to be, awe-inducing. Maybe that explains why for many centuries the indigenous people here occasionally threw their babies in from the top. Overcome by the immensity of it, they decided it was the devil and that it needed to be appeased. We also took a tour of the city. Jeff and I both loved it, but all around us was evidence of... Read more
Today I wore regular mascara (not water-proof) to a funeral for an 18-yr-old boy. When will I learn? Don’t answer that. This handsome fellow was killed in a spring break car accident. So, you are tempted to read over that sentence and put him in the college spring break box, right? Mmmm hmmmm, heard that same old story before. Except, this kid was on his way to do mission work. And he was hit while helping another motorist who had... Read more
“Hey, Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?” Zach asked this at eight in the morning. He’s always been on the anxious side, and he needs to line out the whole day as soon as possible. Before I’ve finished the breakfast dishes, he wants to know what’s for dinner. “What night is it?” I ask in return. “Saturday.” “So what are we having?” “Arroz con pollo?” “Right, buddy.” At home the answer would have been different, but while we’re... Read more
From Greg Pollowitz: Maryland Parents Forget Child, 3, at Chuck E. Cheese, Realize It by Watching TV News Read more
Amy Henry just wrote a great post about how to parent well in an age of technological excess. One of her five suggestions was to create screen-free zones, times when no one is allowed to use the computer or play a video game. I think that, for the most part, travel is a great occasion for just such a zone. In fact, leaving the technology at home made my list of the top 10 tips for traveling with children. Here... Read more
A new Pew Research study asks the question many parents want the answer to: What is going to come of this generation of hyper-connected kids? Are they going to be able to keep jobs that-gasp!-ban social media at the office? Will they be able to converse with non-digitized beings or in settings without screens separating them from human contact? Will they be able to communicate in more than 140 characters? Responses were split nearly equally: About 50% said that by... Read more
If I weren’t already a Christian, I would become one before I travelled anywhere with kids. No matter how wonderful or important the trip is supposed to be, when you combine high expectations, shifting schedules, unpredictable food and unwelcome surprises, you are bound to get cranky people – toddlers, teens, and parents alike. You’re gonna want God on your side. Did you know that the Christian Bible has this verse in it? Do everything without grumbling or arguing. That’s right,... Read more
Seriously. Read more
If you’re thinking about taking the kids to this new movie, Rebecca Cusey gives us a heads-up over on Tinsel. After reading her piece, I went to the movie’s official website. Here’s what I found. Read more
What She Said
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