Should You Apologize to Your Kids?

By far, one of the greatest lessons you could ever teach your kids is how to humbly apologize. I’m not always good at it, but I feel like I’ve not been terrible at it, either. It starts with apologizing to them. It doesn’t make you a bad parent to admit you messed up, it doesn’tContinue reading “Should You Apologize to Your Kids?”

Got Grit?

Who are you when things aren’t perfect? Our lives are filled daily with imperfect situations and relationships where God has given us this beautiful, unique ability to reevaluate and modify the way we manage. While we can’t control what’s happening TO us, we can certainly control our actions in response to imperfect circumstances surrounding us.Continue reading “Got Grit?”

Actions & Reactions Matter

Ignoring guilt that leads to correction is turning a slip into a fall. We must realize our actions have a ripple effect because we don’t sin in a vacuum & a “whatever” attitude will cause us to fall short in our relationships. It’s healthy to imagine how our actions will impact others & react accordingly,Continue reading “Actions & Reactions Matter”

You Forgive Your Dog for Worse

If you’ve ever come home to find your dog has totally destroyed the crate and smeared a hot steamy dump all over the walls around it, you will relate to this. Meet Charlie. He’s a rescue and I’ve had him for 11 days. He’s adorable and cuddly and loving. He wants so badly to pleaseContinue reading “You Forgive Your Dog for Worse”

Parenting Evolves into Mentoring

The instinct to vehemently protect and defend your children doesn’t fade when they become adults, but it does evolve. As much as I would like to, I am not powerful enough to shield my kids from every evil this world has to offer. I can’t keep people from being spiteful wenches any more than IContinue reading “Parenting Evolves into Mentoring”

Being Belligerent vs Having a Backbone

“I just don’t like to argue” sometimes just means “I don’t know how to stand up for myself“. And sometimes arguing for the sake of arguing is just you being belligerent. So what’s the difference? The difference is in what the end game is. If when it’s over you’ve given up pieces of yourself soContinue reading “Being Belligerent vs Having a Backbone”

Don’t Make it Worse

All day I’d rather be the one getting hurt than the one doing the hurting because there’s something to be said for being the stone and not the stepper. Standing out doesn’t always mean being the loudest. Sometimes standing out just means standing up for what you know in your heart is good to doContinue reading “Don’t Make it Worse”

Excuses vs Reasons

So what’s the difference between a reason to put something off and an excuse? A reason is a factor you can’t control, something that actually affects your decision, something to consider when making a plan. An excuse is something we say to make ourselves feel better about not doing what we know we should beContinue reading “Excuses vs Reasons”