He was 52 and his father in his mid-70’s when they learned about each other. No kidding – they had each lived all those years without knowing the other one existed. Well, the son, whose name was John, knew he had a father, or had at one time, but his mother had told him that his father had died after abandoning them. And the father, whose name...

As a single mom, boundaries are essential to keep your family’s life stable and constant. Some people think that boundaries are negative because they put limits on our choices.  I have to disagree. We all need boundaries to safeguard us for a healthy lifestyle.  Without boundaries, life can be one exhausting attempt to catch up. Some families...

I never imagined that I would be a single Mom. It only took a moment, just one question really, to turn my life upside down and change it forever. For years we sat in church together as a family. People used to say we looked like the family from Leave It to Beaver. Now here I was, parenting alone.  How could this happen?   I know many women...

My daughter, Michelle, opened the oven – the cake was a flop!  It was supposed to be a layer cake.  She had planned a luscious filling, and either fluffy frosting or flowers created with fondant.  It would have been almost too beautiful to eat.  But an ingredient was too old, or the oven temperature was wrong, and there it was, flat and...

Christmas morning came early when three small children roamed our house. They are teenagers now, so we’re happy if they wake up before lunch. When they were little they pounced on me at 4 a.m., jarring me from slumber. “Let’s open the gifts,” they’d holler. Hey,” I’d say, trying to remember where I was, “It’s December 4th. Christmas...

I truly believe that Leman’s “Have a New X by Friday” series is really just a gimmick. I don’t mean that in a bad way. It’s his way of capturing your attention: if you drastically change the way you act as a parent, a wife, a friend, then you will see dramatic changes quickly in those you love. He’s right. In his book, Have a New Teenager...

Among the early words you teach your tot are "thank you." Young children need prompts like, "What do you say to Aunt Becky?" Hopefully, over time it becomes an automatic response. But parents need to continue teaching an attitude of thanks even to teenagers. As you celebrate the busy holiday season, utilize every moment as an opportunity to nurture...