Mother-in-law jokes-we've all heard them. Can we relate? A vast majority will laugh along with those jokes, heard in smoky nightclubs or by office coolers. Many will even nod a quiet understanding of the dreaded mother-in-law. Well, I am here to set the record straight. I don't keep my mother-in-law locked away in a dark, basement coat closet turned...

Letting go of my children has always been difficult for me. I often fear the unknown. Each time one of my children encounters a new stage, I am confronted by a sense of inadequacy. When my children reached the age where others began to influence them, I knew that my self-esteem needed to be in check. Suddenly my children's lives weren't all about...

Guidelines for parents, grandparents, or anyone with children on their shopping lists! American retailer JC Penney has teamed up with Toy Tips, Inc. to help shoppers choose the best toys for children. According to Toy Tips, play fosters intellectual, social and physical development. Adults are encouraged to view toys as learning tools with different...

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17 “Lord, help her” I prayed as I walked into the dark bedroom. She sat with her feeble body slumped in the rocking chair. Her pale face tilted to one side. Mother’s slightly parted, chalky lips dribbled...

"You're a wonderful Mother," I wrote on the Mother's Day card with the picture of sunflowers, garden gloves, and a watering can. "You were always home for me after school, with warm cookies and milk. You led our 4-H club and worked in PTA. Best of all, now you're my friend, sharing with me a love of beauty, puzzlement at the mysteries of men, and...

I just did one of the stupidest things in my life. As if someone else, I watched myself angrily put black suede sparkled boots on my daughter's feet because she actually refused to brush her teeth without donning some type of footwear. We were in the midst of a battle - I could think of no proper choices to give her - couldn't seem to stay the...

My Sara begins kindergarten this month. Let me rephrase…my BABY begins kindergarten this month. I have one foot in the school-aged-child season of life, and one firmly planted for one more year in the "mother of preschooler" role (thanks to my other "baby," four-year-old Jack). I am not ready for this. At all. Sara, on the other hand, has been...