Even a Third Grader Can Do It

My third grader came home yesterday in a great mood. She was so pleasant and excited. They had made bat caves at school, and she said, “It was the best day ever.” So I was very perplexed when, a few hours later, she was very grouchy and grumpy after going to the store with her… Continue reading Even a Third Grader Can Do It

3 Steps to Helping Children in their Emotions

How do I help my kids in their emotions? This has been an epic journey for me. Not epic in a sense of heroic, but epic in the sense of incredibly-long-and-exhausting. Along that journey were sleepless nights, tears of pain, and many, many questions. And more and more, I began to recognize that I really… Continue reading 3 Steps to Helping Children in their Emotions

Using Sugar to Pacify Emotions

We very rarely have candy or sweets in our house. I mean . . . Like. Never. Well, I guess there’s Halloween, Christmas, Easter, and the 4th of July Parade. But other than that, it is usually a rarity in our house. Except for this week. I had a meeting I was in charge of,… Continue reading Using Sugar to Pacify Emotions

Angry, but Sadness was at the Root

It was after a very long day of battling my ten-year-old when she finally crawled into bed and I felt defeated. We had fought over E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. She had been defiant in everything I’d asked of her, mean to her sisters, and quick tempered. And I was tired. But I did not want to end the… Continue reading Angry, but Sadness was at the Root

How do I help my kids work through their emotions? (The First Step)

How do I help my kids work through their emotions? This has been a long journey for me. I feel that teaching my kiddos the tools to work through their emotions is one of the greatest gifts I can give them. They will need these skills for the rest of their lives! I did a… Continue reading How do I help my kids work through their emotions? (The First Step)

Sadness and Disappointment

Yesterday was “Students as Teachers Day.” My eight-year-old won the raffle and got to be Mrs. P for half the day. Well, she had high expectations, and sadly, those expectations were not met. She came home from school and buried her head in my lap. She didn’t get to actually “teach” anything. She just walked… Continue reading Sadness and Disappointment

An Eight-Year-Old’s Message in Anger

The summer garage sales are so fun. My kids love them! I remember one Friday, a few months ago, there were a few set up around our neighborhood. The girls were ecstatic to go browse the treasures. But I had the girls’ chores cards set out and the jobs needed to be completed before the… Continue reading An Eight-Year-Old’s Message in Anger

Sadness, Depression, Anger, and the Devil

We are back. After the summer-end travels, the back to school flurry, and the long-expected funeral, we are back to starting our daily routines again. I now have the oldest four in school, and just to the two youngest at home. Amidst the whirlwind of the past few weeks, there were lots of emotions passing… Continue reading Sadness, Depression, Anger, and the Devil