What Every Parent Needs To Know About Spanking
If you’re ever at a loss for how to piss a lot of people off in one fell swoop, criticize parents for spanking. That will do it every...
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The Upside Down World ~ The Blog
- Jan 12, 2017
- 6 min
Stop Arguments Online Like a Mom
My husband is completely convinced that there are Jews somewhere in my Polish lineage. Because three of my great joys in life are being...
- Dec 23, 2016
- 5 min
Jesus Saved Our Christmas Dinner
We have a seating problem in our home. Well, two of them actually. The first is that our chairs don’t match and the folding chairs have...
- Dec 17, 2016
- 6 min
Santa, God and the Problem of Certain Belief
I once knew a family that didn’t do Santa Claus with their kids at Christmas. The reason they didn’t do Santa Claus was because they felt...
- Sep 23, 2014
- 2 min
Allow Me to Share the Holy Grail of Parenting
Seriously. Try it. It’s a long term strategy, but it works. And it’s much, much, much easier than continually forcing your will on...
- May 30, 2014
- 6 min
When Parents Disagree
What I’m about to say flies in the face of nearly everything you’ve ever heard on the subject of how to handle disagreements between...
- Apr 22, 2014
- 1 min
Your Daily Cud
How about I start passing on random thoughts to chew over during your lunch break? It’s OK, you’ll like it. Sometimes I tell my 14 year...
- Apr 18, 2014
- 6 min
Raising Moral Kids Pt. 3
Let’s say that you take your young child to a friend’s house and while she is there, she breaks a toy. Would you prefer that she: A....
- Apr 10, 2014
- 4 min
My Amazing Discipline Trick!
One of these days, I’ll have to tell you about my oldest son Noah. He was really something. Even my mom didn’t want to watch him. And she...
- Apr 9, 2014
- 2 min
Great Power and Petty Beligerance
Yesterday, I wrote about how the changing role and nature of authority in our lives demands that we change the way we parent our kids....
- Jan 15, 2013
- 3 min
Wrestling Hope
“Totally without hope one cannot live. To live without hope is to cease to live. Hell is hopelessness. It is no accident that above the...
- Dec 29, 2012
- 7 min
Do Your Kids Know Their Own Story?
I’m having some trouble writing at the moment, so in honor of my daughter Olivia’s 3rd birthday, here’s a repeat which ends with the...
- Dec 27, 2012
- 5 min
Jesus Saved Our Christmas Dinner
We have a seating problem in our home. Well, two of them actually. The first is that our chairs don’t match and the folding chairs have...
- Dec 18, 2012
- 4 min
Do You Treat God Like Old Aunt Myrtle?
“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Luke 18:17 When ever I have hear...
- Sep 5, 2012
- 5 min
God : Me :: Me : The drama troupe I gave birth to
I can’t begin to imagine where they got it from – probably their father’s side – but I have some rather dramatic children. We still laugh...
- Jun 22, 2012
- 6 min
Top 4 Things I Learned in Juvi – Part 3 The Myth of the Spoiled Child
Now, just let me say that I’m not some anti-spanking purist. I wish I could say that I’ve never so much as swatted my children on the...
- Jun 21, 2012
- 2 min
Do You Think I Should Send This?
Dear Bertha*, I am writing to let you know that my daughter mentioned to me today that on several occasions now your daughter Suzi-Q has...
- Feb 25, 2012
- 2 min
Children: What’s the return on investment?
Wasn't Noah Cute? I clipped this essay out of the local paper 10 years ago and don’t know who the original author is, but wanted to...
- Jan 22, 2012
- 4 min
Rolling your eyes is a good parenting technique
Collin is learning to be a really funny, crabby 45 year old man. Unfortunately he’s stuck being 12 at the moment. Want to do something...
- Jan 19, 2012
- 7 min
Do Your Kids Know Their Own Story?
Trotter children are immediately identifiable by their curly hair Each of my children has a story we tell them about some way in which...
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