School Years

Change can be big like a new school or a new house or good friends moving away. They can be smaller and more mundane, like the change of today's plans or the transition from school to summer. Or vacation! Some of my biggest challenges as a mother have come when we are in the midst of change. Sometimes I am aware of the change, and other times I realize later that I was clueless.

Make time to spend time with your teen. Tell her you love her. Give him too many hugs. This is not the season to walk in offense. Love when you are rejected and love them when they fail. Love when you really, really don’t want to.

If you’re like me, you’ve done time volunteering in classrooms. And sometimes you are in charge of events and have to come up with cute activities and crafts for the kiddos to create and enjoy. This little tasty treat...

I have been here before. At one point, before my daughter came along, all three of my boys were in school at once. I didn't like it. I treasured the disappearance of the sibling WWF rounds and the cries of "I'm bored." Or "I'm starved." But between those bits of relief, I felt empty. Like I had lost my purpose.

Can you believe it is already time to register children for the Fall of 2018 kindergarten? There are few times as exciting for parents as the time our children transition into kindergarten. In my experience as a school principal, our...

When my oldest child was born, he was breastfed exclusively.  Six months later, he was dining on carefully crafted homemade baby food. None of that mattered as he became a typical picky toddler asking for pizza, pop-tarts, and macaroni...

Before I ever had kids, I always thought that I would be the cool mom. You know the type, the one that is more like a friend than a parent. As their best friend, my kids would tell me everything....

We teach our children to befriend the new kids, but do we moms act on our own advice? Another summer has passed too quickly and our kids are back at school. If you're like me, you're lamenting the end of long,...

I've spent most of my working life teaching children to love literature and to be able to communicate effectively in their writing. Along the way, I hope that I've also managed to teach them how to be good, compassionate...

The other day, my ten year old son came home from school and he promptly asked to go outside and play with his friends. I asked the question I always ask, "Do you have any homework?" To which he...