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Raising Money Savvy Children

Logan and I went to the dollar store tonight. Originally this was just to pick out some Christmas presents for some dear friends of ours, but when Grandpa heard where we were going he couldn’t resist giving Logan a few dollars of his own to spend while we were there. Logan of course was very excited to get to pick some things out, but more importantly it provided a perfect opportunity to teach him a mini lesson on some rather important topics in today’s society. While he is only four, he was able to understand that two dollars can only … Continue reading →

Raising Compassionate Children

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I want my daughter to be a loving, compassionate human being. Not always the easiest thing to foster. Children are naturally selfish, it’s how they are wired, we have to teach them to be compassionate. As a single mother I try to remember that as long as my daughter is a good person people won’t remember if my house was clean. There are so many ways to teach kindness and compassion but really, children learn what they live, if you want them to be kind, model kindness. Do your kids tease each other? Of course they do, they are children. … Continue reading →

You’re Not My Real Mother!

I think most adopted kids will try to pull this line at some point. Adoptive parents must realize that, although at the moment it may be intended to hurt, it probably is not a reflection of a deep-seated belief. It’s simply one more thing kids can fling at you in the heat of the moment. In fact, some non-adopted kids have tried it too! Some adoptive parents report being devastated when they hear this from their beloved child. Another mother reported that she was surprised by how little upset she felt when her fourteen-year-old son said this. She was secure … Continue reading →

Real Grandma? Raising children who have an adopted father.

I was married at eighteen years old, to an adopted man. He was adopted during the era where everything was a secret and adoptive parents might never even tell the child. He had some real difficult times dealing with his adoption when we became parents together not once but twice in fourteen months time. Being the mother of children with an adopted father was just about as close as my life would ever get to understanding some of the hard parts about not knowing anything about your past. It started to become something I noticed when I filled in the … Continue reading →

How Much Did You Spend on Your Child’s Last Birthday Party?

I know it wasn’t more than $360,000. We can’t all roll like Daddy Diddy, but as parents we do want to make our children happy, and celebrating a milestone like a birthday with a big party, often means digging deep. But how deep do you dig? My five-year-old is dreaming of a huge bash to commemorate her sixth year of life (which thankfully doesn’t happen for a few more months). She has been begging for a safari-themed party at our local children’s museum. For three hours, up to 20 kids can dine on lion-shaped cake, make toilet paper roll binoculars, … Continue reading →

Charity and the Preschooler

“Mommy, I thought charity was a girl.” That was my 4-year-old’s response after a man from our local St. Vincent de Paul non-profit thrift store helped unload the last bag of donated goods from our car. For weeks we have been organizing, purging and de-cluttering our home all in the name of charity. After I tackled the kitchen and living room I moved on to my daughter’s room. While she was busy crashing her remote control Jeep into towers of wooden blocks I dumped out a gigantic container of stuffed animals and asked her to help me make two piles. … Continue reading →

The Shock of Adoption Secrets

We had heard about it happening in other families but were shocked to learn of it in our own. How could this happen? How did it get covered up for so long? There are so many questions that may never be answered… As we pulled up to my mother-in-law’s home for a harvest time/Halloween party, we noticed my husband’s step-mother parked in the driveway. It was our assumption at the time she might have wanted to meet her youngest grandson for the first time. We gathered the children and brought them into the house. Directing the kids to the play … Continue reading →

Commentary: Sue Happy Society–Who Is Liable?

It seems you can’t turn around without hearing about some kind of lawsuit or another for some reason. It wasn’t that long ago when people assumed responsibility for their own actions. Now it’s common to hear stories of people winning multi-million dollar settlements for smoking or spilling hot coffee on their laps because they can’t get out of the car and drink their morning coffee at a table. While big business is always subject to lawsuits and often end up on the losing side even when logic tells the public that the person suing should have known better, or brought … Continue reading →

Facing Divorce, with a Special Needs Child

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There is no question that having a child with a disability is a tremendous source of stress for any couple. What was once a carefree romantic relationship turns into a painful, confusing, emotional rollercoaster, at least for a time. Sometimes one partner decides he or she wants off the ride. And this leaves a tremendous burden on the spouse left behind. When Reality Hit Me…Hard I found myself in this situation. I’ll never forget sitting across from my then-husband as he announced, “It’s time for you to move on with your life.” I looked down at my seven-month pregnant belly, … Continue reading →