Sigh. Melancholy. Despondent. Sitting in the bottom of the dumpster, looking down. It had been a rough morning. Do you have a child that wages all-out war on any idea that isn’t theirs? …

“Hmmm…..are you stinky?” my niece queried as our very fragrant 2-year-old walked by, giving him a chance to claim the obvious. No such luck. “No. Are YOU stinky?” he retorted, redirecting the attention and swiftly exiting the scene. Blessings be upon my niece for tracking him down and preventing future…

“I wish the piano had never been invented.” “I don’t WANT to feed my animals!” “I didn’t play with those toys. It’s not my fault they’re out.” “I despise construction!” “But I don’t want to go…” There came a day where many of the above statements were thrown at me…

“I’m ready to be checked.” My 9-year-old gave a small smile of pride that his weeding job was completed. Walking out to the spot, I was amazed at the explosion of dirt and weed appendages that were strewn across the area. …

“I want to try swimming without a life jacket.” My 4-year-old daughter stood looking at me expectantly. “Okay, we will move our chairs closer to the pool, and I need you to stay right on the steps while you try this out,” I responded. …

“Sooooo…..what’s the plan for lunch?” This is not what I wanted to hear. Having just plopped myself on the couch after the rush of morning tasks, I was hoping for a few minutes of reprieve before facing the next meal prep. …

I don’t speak the language of little boys. But my husband does. For example, recently in the rush of twelve people getting ready for church, I observed a couple of quiet exchanges in this foreign language. My husband and 6-year-old son were rummaging around in the back of our closet…

How grateful I am for opportunities to grow up with my children. One morning I had a run-in with our visiting college-age daughter that left me grumbling as I stepped into the garage to fetch an item. After a taste of managing her own time at college, of course she…

Family prayer had just ended on a Saturday night. Pajama-clad people were standing and trudging to their sleeping quarters. Then I remembered. “Oh, yeah. Big Brother just messaged from the party and asked if anyone would be willing to milk the cow.” Silence. Younger siblings, suddenly unbelievably fatigued, disappeared into…