Tag Archives: family

Life Under Construction – Some Days I Feel Like Spiderman

By | |
Leave a comment

** I wrote this in 2005, when Nate was 5 and Philip was 2. It’s now January 2020, and the boys are grown/growing up–Nate is 19, Philip is 16, and Andre is now 14 years old! Nate has come back to live with us in the last year and half (no bad reason–just because), and Jenn and the boys live a few miles from us. She’s still working hard (two jobs totaling 12 days a week), and the boys are still in need of attention, support, clothing, and food–lots and lots of food. 🙂 Has life settled down for us?… Continue reading →

Life Under Construction–Home School Style

By | | ,
Leave a comment

Recently, Dave and I made a retirement-altering decision regarding one of our grandsons. After learning that he has made it all the way through 5th grade without knowing his multiplication table, how to divide, basic parts of speech, etc., we have decided we will home school him for a year with the prayer for bringing him up to speed with his contemporaries–and who knows, maybe even surpass them! When we talked to “A” about this, he loved the idea immediately. He simply can’t learn in a classroom environment. Some of it is his inability to sit still for more than… Continue reading →

Life Under Construction–Parenting is SO Easy

By | | ,
Leave a comment

Parents, do NOT let other people guilt you into being “their” kind of parent. I had a neighbor once whose son was in his playroom and dropped his glass of milk. When he tried to pick it up, he cut his palm. This precious mother was so guilt-ridden over what other parents would think of her for leaving her son alone IN HIS PLAYROOM, that she was considering plastic surgery for the little scar that would be on his palm. For most little boys, scars are warrior trophies, anyway. “Oh, this scar? It’s nothing. You should see the other fella.”… Continue reading →

The Myth of the Empty Nest

By | | ,
Leave a comment

Several years ago I wrote about the joys of empty nesting. Less than a year after I wrote that article, the empty nest was interrupted. Had to be done. People’s welfare was at stake. Nine months ago, our nest emptied out again. And just this week we once again gave birth to that baby called empty nest no longer. Because family always comes home. Because life is full of lies we tell ourselves, like someday you will have an empty nest and will be free to travel the world in a camper and have the health to do so! Just… Continue reading →