Sometimes I hear the kids arguing and one of them will use a word or phrase that is not a normal part of their vocabulary. For example, not many 17 year-old boys would say this, “You are the most deceitful person that I have ever met.” Instead they would say something like this, “You are a liar.”

Sometimes people get jealous. They worry that someone is slipping away, that they are losing their influence. They worry that they might be losing the love or complete attention of another person and when this happens, they turn to coercion. They hit on a person’s frailties, on …read more

This morning, as I was getting into the mom-van to drive Sarah to school, I noticed that she wasn’t her usual sparky-Sarah self.  I asked if she was okay, if there was something that she needed from me that she was not getting?  She tried to play it off, just shook her head, ran back for her scooter, wouldn’t look me in the eye. Finally, she said, “Welllll….. actually yes.  Can I have some attention?” 
It occurred to me that if my daughters are not comfortable asking me for what they need, then that might become a behavioral pattern.  If it …read more